The Demon in the Gang
by philly cheese dude
Summary: Angel is capture by the Initiative and somehow turned to Angelus. How will Angelus be able to cope with very significant changes? Will Buffy help or will she just stake him? Better summary inside. Rating may change to M, series re-write possible.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi, I'm here with a new story! I know I have another one in the works, but this was in my mind for a while. Any errors are mine and please let me know about them. It will most likely be a series re-write of Buffy but with Angelus included in. **

**Summary: Set after "Somnambulist" and "The I in Team." Angel was captured in Los Angeles after Walsh heard rumors of an old and very powerful vampire living there. After breaking out, Angelus tries to find out how he's out but his soul is still residing in his body. Along with that, he has to figure out how to live with a chip stronger than what Spike has. Angelus is forced to worked with Buffy and her friends to learn how to live with a chip and a forced conscious. Will he be able to do it, or will Buffy and him come to blows?**

**This takes place before the ending of "The I in Team."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. **

The klaxon alarm blared loudly throughout the underground lad alerting all inside the offices and rooms. Squad leaders and commanders yelled out orders to get armed and ready, while scientists ran to safety. Some of the captured individuals yelled out, hollered, and shouted in joy and bloodlust as one of their own fought his way out of his cell. All throughout the lower level shouts of 'Get back' and 'Hold him down' permeated the air as soldiers shot electrical bursts blindly into smoke pipes not knowing where the target was or who the target was. Their target growled in pain as steam struck his face and electrical beams ripped through his flesh. He flinched as explosions all around him made his would-be escape even slower.

On the building on top hiding the underground facility, students and soldiers woke up in shock as the klaxon blared to life for the first time ever. A couple in one of the rooms rose up in surprise as the alarms reverberated in their ears. "What's that?" said the woman blindly reaching for her clothes.

"It's—it's the alarm. They're triggered to go off when there is an escape in the lab. We put it in after Spike broke out," he explained as he pulled his pants on in a hurry.

"Has it gone off since?" She asked as she clasped her bra back on and started to put her shirt back on.

"No it hasn't because anything that tried to escape was subdued. This is bad Buffy, real bad. I haven't heard…" Riley was cut off as shouting from outside his room penetrated the walls. "Everyone downstairs! Take all entrances to the lab; he's tearing us up down there!" Forest yelled out as he ran down the stairs near Riley's room.

As soon as Buffy and Riley were dressed, they flew out of the room and followed the remaining soldiers down the elevator behind the mirror. In the tense silence inside, all the radios blared to life, causing all the people inside to jump in surprise and fear, _"All teams, this is Professor Walsh, live fire is authorized. I say again, live fire is authorized." _

Riley unclasped his radio as the sounds of the soldiers already inside broke through the static. _"Is anyone coming down!? We need back up; I say again… we need back up!"_ A soldier's voice yelled out.

"This is Agent Finn; I'm coming down with the Slayer and back up. What's the situation?" Riley said in a controlled voice.

"_The situation is fucked up! That's what the situation is! A hostile broke—wait a minute,"_ the soldier responded but the line went silent. All the occupants inside were listening in tense anticipation and ignored the opening doors to the Initiative Lab. The silence was broken as the radios crackled to life once again, but what they heard were the sounds of squad leader giving directions. _"Where is he? Anyone see him anywhere?"_ The voice on the other end said.

"_No sir, not picking him up on the scanners. The sensors aren't picking him up either,"_ Another voice was faintly heard as he replied to the squad leader.

"_Hold here squad; he was last spotted here." _Riley looked at Buffy and the others and nodded to the soldiers. The soldiers ran to the armory and loaded up on weapons, while Buffy grabbed a stake from the back pocket and breathed deeply. The slayer in her was tense in anticipation of the fight, but was also frightened as something became eerily clear. Something dark and dangerous was making its way up from the levels down.

"_Fire, everyone fire!" _The squad leader was heard yelling out in the radios. The sounds of flesh meeting flesh were heard and then total silence took over. Faintly, Buffy heard the sounds of groaning and heavy breathing make its way from the radio. Then she gasped as she heard words that she hasn't heard in months. Gaelic words came from the radio for a few seconds before a loud feedback was heard.

Riley and the rest of the soldiers switched the channels on the radio and holstered them into their radio holsters. The soldiers loaded their weapons and made their way out. Riley stopped as he noticed Buffy's face paled and then look at him with a look a fright never seen before. "Buffy, what's wrong? What is it?"

"You have to take him fast and hard, he will not go down without a fight," Buffy said with such fear that Riley was worried.

"You fought him before?"

"If it's who I think it is, then yes I have. So be careful."

Riley nodded and Buffy followed him to the stairs. As the small squad of soldiers made their way down a hallway to the stairs, a loud primal growl was heard coming from the stairs. Riley and Buffy walked slowly forward with the 4 soldiers behind them, carefully monitoring the area. Suddenly, a voice yelled out over the sounds of the alarm still blaring and the sounds of fighting were heard. The small group waited for silence, but instead was greeted by the body of another soldier flying up the stairs. He was unconscious, but alive and then the sound of a deep painful groan was heard, following by curse words. Buffy recognized the voice instantly but didn't have time to duel on it when the tingle in her belly started. A dark chuckle sounded through the air and the groups visibly shivered at the pure evil tingeing the sound. Heavy footsteps were heard walking up the stairs before another chuckle was heard. The group backed up from the stairway and aimed their rifles down the hall to the darkened stairs. Red flashing lights were their only source of light as it bounced off the walls every so number of seconds.

The steps sounded even closer, almost echoing then they stopped as the owner of the steps made his voice heard. "Buffy… Guess whose back?"

"Oh no…" was all Buffy said as the figure materialized from the shadows. "Angelus," she said in a hushed, stunned voice.

Angelus appeared from the darkness in full game face but was breathing heavily. He was shirtles

"Don't go in there! Get back!"

The soldier was pushed hard out of the door and he stumbled back as a chair was thrown to him. He rushed back into the room, but he fell back again as Angelus threw out a huge high kick. As the soldier fell to the ground, knocked out, Angelus was heard yelling in pain.

"Son of a bitch," he said as the pain started leaving his head. Anymore of the shocks to the head and he was sure he was going to feel his head explode. He searched around the room and ducked as he saw a grenade land near the huge metal door. He hid behind the desk and shook as the grenade exploded. "Damn, all this for me. I think I'm popular," he said to himself.

He peaked out and noticed part of the metal door came off and was lying a few feet away from him. "Fuck it," he said and ran out from behind the desk. The huge piece of metal was big enough to cover him and thick enough to use as a shield. He picked it up and ducked behind the wall as another grenade shook the hallway. "Hey Buff, fancy seeing you here. Never thought you would need help in the slaying department. What happened to good ol' Rupes? Had a falling out or the old geezer couldn't cut it anymore?" Angelus yelled out as the gunfire quieted down and he stood up. He didn't wait for an answer and charged out of the doorway.

He mustered up all his demonic strength and used a speed so fast that even Buffy had a hard time seeing the dark blur. He ran past them and tossed the metal piece behind him. Buffy managed to see where Angelus turned and she took off behind him. She tightly gripped her stake and managed to keep up with him to the front. Angelus noticed an air vent high up on the ceiling and also spotted a low walkway that he could jump on before jumping to the vent.

As soon as he was about to jump, Buffy jumped in front of him and he paused. He looked her over and wiggled his eyebrows in an effort to throw her off her game. Her breath hitched in her throat lightly and Angelus used this as an opening. He pushed past her and used all his strength to jump to the walkway. He gripped the edge tightly and managed to swing his large frame over the railing just as gunfire erupted from below. Bullets struck the metal and whizzed by him as he ducked down to avoid getting hit.

Buffy stood up quickly and literally admired the strong, elegant demon making his way out. He used all his remaining speed and strength and jumped high to the open air vent. He pulled himself inside and breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief as he felt the rush of cool air come into the vent. As the gunfire ended he peaked his head and smirked in triumph. "You can't ever keep a good demon down assholes!" He smiled widely at the crowd below and noticed the stake flying through the air and ducked inside. He stake just barely missed his shoulder and lodged itself into the metal. "You missed Buff, really got to work on your aim!" He yelled out from the safety of the vent.

"Come down here and I'll show you how good my aim is. That is if you can manage to hit me! You can't hit me, am I right? You're just a neutered puppy!" Buffy yelled back to Angelus. She got a growl back in response and chuckled.

"Hey, let's try this," Angelus said as he peaked his head back out. "How about you shut up and let me escape?" He mocked a salute and disappeared into the darkness. He crawled his way to freedom and came upon a metal grate and kicked it out with one well placed kick. He crawled out of the vent and fell down to the ground. His legs still were inside the vent, but Angelus was beyond tired. For the first time after he lost his soul, he knew he was royally screwed. The damn scientists did something to him, but it was the bitch Walsh that did something. Angelus still felt the soul somewhere deep inside of him but it was suppressed somehow. He knew it wasn't human so it had to be mystical, but something inside his brain was giving him monstrous shocks! He managed to stand up and he started making his way back to a place Buffy knew not to go to, his old apartment. Along the way he mused at the way some Initiative thugs captured him and he actually wondered where Wes and Cordy were at. With a mental shrug he limped his way to safety.

Back inside the Lab; Riley, Buffy, and the soldiers were looking for survivors. All throughout the levels of the lab, they noticed that Angelus didn't kill anyone. They were just unconscious and were okay except for bumps, bruises, and a few broken bones here and there. But overall, everyone was fine. Buffy was about to speak up and voice her thoughts when Riley's radio crackled to life. The voice though, didn't know the radio was on. Walsh spoke out in a venomous tone that rivaled the way Angelus spoke, "Dr. Angleman, activate behavioral chip 21."

"Yes ma'am," he replied back in an excited voice that caused Buffy to actually feel fear for Angelus. The chip sounded worse than what Spike was equipped with.

As Angelus stumbled tiredly into the dusty apartment, he screamed and growled in pain as the chip inside his brain went off. He went into convulsions and eventually fainted due to the pain.


	2. Unknown circumstances

**AN: I've update once again. Thanks for the reviews, even though it was a small number, at least I know people are checking this out. I also want to thank the people that are following the story. It means a lot, oh and I want to thank my buddy, Jaymartinez who gave me some good ideas. Go check out his fics! Now, on with the chapter!**

**This takes place before the events on "Goodbye Iowa."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.**

An hour after the hostile known as Angelus broke out, Professor Walsh walked out of her office. She ignored everyone all around her and walked down a few hallways and approached a door. She typed in a code into a keypad next to the door and waited to her the click of the door. She opened the door and walked inside the room. In the middle of the room was a large mass covered by blue blanket. She walked over slowly and lowered down the blanket to reveal a huge, grotesque man/demon hybrid still with his eyes closed. She was still incest about the damn slayer situation and she knew that Riley and that damn bimbo Buffy slept together again! What was worse is that before she could pull Buffy's access to the Initiative, she had to come down and help with the escape hostile.

As Walsh continued to stare down at the hybrid, she mused at remembering the master vampire. The oldest vampire they caught prior to Angelus was Spike, but Angelus surpassed what Spike lacked in. She administered a series of 'tests' to check out the endurance of the dark-haired vampire. Anything she threw at him, Angelus just met it head on and laughed about it afterward. So she decided to up the ante. She remembered the updated Behavioral Modification Chip that wasn't used much anymore. Her last move would break the vampire in time, but she didn't realize that Angelus would break out so soon after the surgery. She wasn't worried though, the chip would serve its purpose and pretty soon Angelus would be dust in the wind.

"Yes, Hostile 244 isn't going to last long. But just in case he survives, when you wake up I will have another mission for you," Walsh said softly to the hybrid. She almost spoke in a loving, motherly tone and looked at the newly transplanted arm. She walked over to the end of the bed and ripped off the blanket to reveal that the hybrid was dressed in commando pants and boots. She puts her hand on his foot and continues her tirade. "Yes, you will make sure that Angelus doesn't survive, along with that stupid blonde bitch! We've come too far to be stopped and that bitch won't stop us. If she wants a fight, we'll give her one, won't we Adam. And Riley will come around once she's out of the way. Yes, we will be a family once Buffy Summers is dead."

Walsh looked over to the table next to Adam and noticed a bone-saw lying there. "Stupid, insignificant people not knowing to put up tools and supplies. I always have to clean up after people," she muttered angrily and walked over to the table. As she lowered her hand to pick up the saw, a searing, hot, sharp pain exploded in her chest. Gasping in pain and surprise, she looked down a noticed a long, sharp spear in her chest. Still in shock, Walsh looks over her shoulder and noticed Adam awake and staring down at her with a curious look. "Ad-Adam?" She asked weakly as her body went limp. She slid off the spear as Adam stared down at Walsh and then raises his arm to see his new left arm with the blood soaked spear.

Adam then looked at Walsh once again and tilts his head almost in a curious manner, "Mommy?"

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_**Meanwhile, Across Town**_

Buffy slowly walked inside Giles' apartment still wearing a look of shock on her face. She was still working her mind around the fact that Angel was gone and Angelus was back. But instead of mind games that she knew he could unleash, he didn't. On the good side was that Angelus couldn't hurt humans at all. She noticed when all the people she found were alive; just knocked out cold. She looked up to see Giles, Spike, Willow, Xander, and Anya all looking at her face with curious looks.

"Yes as I was saying, the tracking device should be turned off now. I suggest you get out of town while the Initiative is here. Lord only knows why I'm telling you this, but it's for your own good," Giles said once again to Spike after the blonde vampire woke up from his alcohol induced unconsciousness.

"It isn't safe anymore. It isn't safe for all us and everyone," Buffy softly said as she wrapped her arms around herself. Willow recognized the move from when Buffy was still trying to recover from Angel.

"See, that settles it then. I'm not going anywhere at all. You need all the help you can get gramps," Spike reiterated back to Giles.

Willow ignored the two and stood up and walked over to Buffy. "What is it Buffy? What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"An…Ang….Angelus is back," Buffy stuttered out softly. The living room went eerily quiet as each and everyone absorbed the news in their own way. She stayed quiet also, preparing herself for the explosion of yells that were sure to erupt.

She didn't have to wait long at all.

"What?!? Dead boy is back in town and he's all happy and cheery again?!?" Xander yelled out as he stood up angrily.

"Oh dear lord," Giles whispered harshly as he took off his glasses and furiously started cleaning them. Willow just sat down in shock and Anya just stared at her fingers to see if she needed to do that coloring thing to them again.

"How did you find out? Did he come-a-knocking or what?" Xander said as he tried to calm down.

"The Initiative captured him for god knows how long. He broke out two or three hours ago, but we don't have to worry about him trying to kill us," Buffy said to reassure everyone as much as herself.

"Why? What do you know?" Asked Willow who was preparing mentally to re-curse the dark demon once again.

"I think Walsh and some doctor that's name Angleman chipped him also," Buffy said as she tried to figure out what was wrong in LA since she hadn't heard from Wesley or Cordelia.

"That's just bloody spectacular!" Spike said as he burst out into guffaws. He knew how bloodthirsty his grand-sire was and this was just an awesome thing. _I should go check in on the bloody poof, _he thought to himself. He just erupted into laughter again, causing Giles and Xander to snicker lightly to themselves at the expense of Angelus. Anya looked up to the men and stared at them weirdly as if they were crazy. Willow swallowed her own bubble of laughter also. The only one not laughing was Buffy. She was genuinely worried about Angelus due to the words Walsh said over the radio. She wanted to go check on the demon, but was still scared by him. She remembered how easily he tortured her mind and she didn't know if she could recover from it at all.

Noticing that the group was either laughing, looking around with a bored expression, or suppressing laughter, Buffy decided to change the subject. "Okay well in other news, Walsh tried to kill me."

The group immediately quieted down and Buffy smirked inside at that. "What happened?" Giles asked her.

"Well it all started…."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**In other part of town**_

Angelus stirred as he was finally coming into consciousness. His head pounded as the pain of the major shock made itself known and he held his head as he thought of killing that bitch Walsh. "Argh! Fuck!" Angelus yelled out as another light shock hit his brain. "What the fuck is happening?" Angelus muttered to no one. He stood up and swayed on his feet as the residual pain left his head. He took a few deep calming breaths that he recalled Soul-boy doing and closed his eyes and managed to calm down.

Once he managed to recover a bit, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He recalled the event that last had him here and smiled at the memory but then frowned as something unknown made itself known. He didn't know what it was but it bothered him and he immediately thought that killing someone would make him feel better. Followed right after that thought was a jolt in his head, which wasn't as a painful as the ones from when he hit people, but was still a bit enough to make him wince.

"Damn it," he said softly to himself. He walked over to the dusty dresser and opened it to reveal some clothes that he left behind in plastic bags. He ripped on bag open to reveal a blue button down shirt and black pants. He remembered the clothes from when Soul-boy asked Buffy to ice skate and he scowled at the happy memory. "Damn eunuch," he growled out to Angel, wherever he was.

He shrugged to himself and got his clothes and stalked to the small bathroom. Once inside, he laid the clothes down on the toilet seat and turned around to grab an old, dusty towel that he kept there. He took off the hook that it was on and shook the towel to get dust off of it. Once it was fairly free of dust, Angelus turned around and turned on the hot water. The water pipes groaned from not being used in a while and rushed out in cold water. Within moments, the water heated up and Angelus was actually thankful that Soul-boy bought the building that the underground apartment was in. He stepped into the shower and groaned at the feel of the scalding hot water and leaned his head to the wall.

In a rare showing, Angelus smiled at the simplicity of feeling the water slide down his back, but his thoughts turned again to questions upon questions. Even though he was out, Angelus could feel the soul inside his mind and body. He didn't know how it would affect him, but he felt that it was going to change his whole view on things. He didn't know whether to growl at that or be afraid at that. He chose the former and growled loudly in the bathroom.

After a good while in the shower, Angelus got out and dried himself off. He needed to feed and that thought sprang up more thoughts of feeding, but with his condition, he was going to have to resort to the blood bank. His unknown chip went off at that thought and he growled loudly through the pain. "Damn it, can't even think of those packets without the fucking shocks? What the fuck man, this is just freaking unbelievable," Angelus said to himself. He quickly dressed himself in the small bathroom and walked out to the living area. He walked over to the dusty bed that remained unmoved since that day he first met Buffy and kneeled down to get a large box out from underneath the bed.

He pulled out the box and flipped open the lid and smirked at the contents. If there was one thing about Angel that Angelus actually respected, was the soul's choice in coats. He grabbed the black coat and ran his hand along the smooth silky surface. He remembered the first time Angel met Buffy in that alley all those years back; he was wearing this coat. He slip on the jacket and flared his arms around to make sure the jacket still fit. He kept his smirk in place and made a mental list of what to do, and he didn't like it one bit. _First, I have to go get some food which unfortunately means pig's blood, _he thought disgustedly to himself. He visibly shivered, knowing he had to sustain himself somehow.

_Oh wait, I do remembered hearing that a bit of Otter's blood will actually make it taste better, have to remember to get that, _Angelus then thought as he made his way out of his apartment. He walked up the stairs in deep thought at what he had to do last, which was frankly the only thing he didn't want to do. _Damn, I need to talk to Buff. Fuck…._

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**AN: Read and Review please!**


	3. Daylight Reconnaissance

**AN: I'm back with another update. Seems a little dead but I think is because people prefer to read Buffy/Spike fics. Not sure why, but hey... to each their own. I personally don't like those fics but I will not speak ill about them because so are well written. Anyways, enough of unmentionable topics, spread the word around about this fic and I'll do the same for yours! Thanks so much for those that review, add, subscribed, or hell even read the story. At least I know people are reading this fic!**

**Takes place during "This Year's Girl."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy.**

The streets of Sunnydale were nearly dead quiet as the night set into the sky. The only ones out and about were the unmentioned underground population of the town and the people that fought them. And one vampire who just looked and lurked in the shadows, unable to fight anyone, as if he wanted to fight. Angelus walked away from the butcher shop with a scowl on his face. He was still angry that he had to resort to eating animal blood, but the otter helped give the pig's blood a better taste. He recalled the past few days and was feeling a bit, well off from the events. He still hasn't spoken to Buffy, but he knows that she was on the lookout for him. Alongside her were the witch, the Harris boy, good ol' Rupes, the former annoying demon chick, and the corn-fed soldier boy.

He recalled in surprise and disdain as he growled a bit at seeing the closeness of Buff and Captain Soldier Boy. He didn't understand and sure as hell didn't want to delve into that little moment of insanity. He was also surprised to see Spike helping out Buffy. He got close enough to hear conversations, but still stayed hidden well enough to not get caught. He overheard that Spike had a chip in his brain that didn't allow him to hurt or kill humans and Angelus put some pieces to his unsolved puzzle together and realized he was chipped as well. He also heard Spike threaten Buffy but nothing happened to him and Angelus became incensed.

The damn scientists most likely installed a chip worse than Spike's into his brain. Angelus' mind was racing at the thoughts of this realization, but he kept himself composed.

So on this night, Angelus stayed in the shadows to observe Buffy patrolling by herself. He had always secretly admired the way the blonde slayer moved during a fight. She had all the elements of an excellent fighter and Angelus had admired his adversary. Of course he never said anything to anyone, but it was always in his mind. So on this night, Angelus stuck to the shadows and observed; much like two years ago.

When a vampire jumped out from a mausoleum to attack Buff, Angelus leaned against a tree and saw the way she fought. With ease and precision, Buffy turned the tables on the vampire. She did her normal quips and witty remarks at the same time she delivered power packed punches and kicks. When the end came near, another vampire was sneaking up to Buffy and Angelus wondered how she was going to turn this around. He didn't even move as the vampire passed right next to him and figured the vamp was a fledgling. _Newbies, _he thought to himself.

Buffy staked the vampire she was originally fighting and turned around in time to face the newborn vampire. The vamp growled in surprise and charged at her. Buffy just held her ground and flipped the vampire over her shoulder. She turned around and drove her stake to its target. Angelus just smirked and walked away from the scene.

The next day Angelus was found sitting on the big sofa chair in the small apartment. He found a few contacts that have stayed in town and got information out of them. He was still in slight shock to hear that a lot of the vampires that were in town were captured and had a chip implanted in them. So far though, no other demon or vampire had a chip liked his and Angelus was angered. He had a lot of pent up aggression and no way to unleash it. He recently thought about organizing vampires to plan an attack and finally rid the town of Buffy, but found that he didn't want to kill her anymore. He sure as hell didn't want to be her friend or even a lap dog, but he didn't have the drive to kill Buffy anymore. Hell, he didn't even want to destroy the world.

He entertained thoughts of destroying the world in different ways, but the motivation wasn't there. The same fire that drove him to awaken Acathla wasn't there anymore. What he did have was annoyance, anger, and no way to unleash any of that without getting a huge shock to head. He growled in the chair and leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "There has to be some action that has to happen in this town," he muttered to himself.

Figuring that he could find out more information, he stood up and got dressed in all black attire. "I really need to get some leather pants," he said to himself as he put on his black slacks. Once he was done, he grabbed his coat and walked out of his apartment. He could feel the night time calling to him and obeyed the call and walked out to the streets of Sunnydale. Once again, it seemed quiet. Angelus walked aimlessly to a cemetery and heard a crunch of breaking bones followed by a pain-filled groan. He slowed his walk and stalked quietly towards the sound. The smell of putrid blood filled his nose and Angelus suppressed a groan. He came to a small clearing with two tall trees. He looked around and melted into the shadows as his eyes landed on a gruesome sight.

Angelus himself winced at the sight, even though he did some stuff like that back in the day. There was a Fyarl Demon being suspended by a huge robot/demon, well uh thing. Angelus looked on curiously but winced as the robot/demon's left arm turned into a blade of some kind and it drove the blade into the Fyarl. It then proceeded to slash the flesh open. The hybrid then grabbed the opened flesh and poked holes in the flesh and ran rope through the holes. It then tied the ends to the two trees and went back to investigate the innards of the Fyarl. "Wow that's gross," Angelus muttered to himself.

He stayed there until the hybrid started removing the guts and sliced them open. Angelus was thoroughly grossed out, which surprised him because it took a lot to gross him out. He walked out and proceeded to leave the cemetery when he picked up _**her **_scent. The scent of power and vanilla and he just had to stay to see what Buffy would say about this scene. Angelus walked back to the scene and noticed that the hybrid left the area and the organs were gone. He heard the sound of fire coming from inside the body and Angelus made an 'ew' sound. He ducked into the shadows and hid as well as he could as he heard Buffy's approach. She was followed by Xander and Willow who decided to tag along in the patrol.

He avoided the beams of light coming from the flashlights that Xander and Willow's flashlights. He stayed still as the three spoke softly amongst each other and waited for them to leave. As they left, Angelus came out from his hiding spot, but he noticed Buffy slow her walk down and stare behind her. Angelus blended into the shadows, but he felt as her gaze landed on him. She didn't make any movements to search for him and she just walked away. "Damn slayer," he said to himself and took off back to his apartment.

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The next night Angelus was walking the town once again. He heard fast moving footsteps and ducked behind a building. He noticed that he was near the hospital, but what was surprising was when he saw the other slayer walking away from the hospital. "Well, well, well, look what we have here," he said softly to himself. He smirked as he saw the slightly confused, yet determined look on Faith's face. "Oh yeah, she's planning something."

He noticed and felt that the sun was getting ready to rise, so Angelus walked to a dark building that was near his apartment. He went inside and eyed a black car inside. The windows were tinted so dark that the sun's deadly UV rays couldn't penetrate inside. He shrugged to himself and opened the car door and got in. He leaned down and found some spare keys and tried them all till he found the right set for the nice looking Pontiac Grand Prix. Once the car's V8 engine roared to life, Angelus jumped out of the car and opened to garage-style door but was careful to avoid the morning sun's rays.

He walked back to the car and got in. Once he pulled the car onto the street, Angelus noticed that Sunnydale transformed during the day. People were everywhere going about their day and Angelus was slightly jealous. He shook off this random annoying emotion and decided to drive by the university. He pulled up next to a huge tree that was next to the university. He lowered the windows down and sniffed the air till he picked up Faith's scent. He smirked and put the windows back up and took in the direction of Giles' apartment. Once he arrived, he noticed Faith looking inside for a while and then walked away. He stayed there waiting to see what was going to happen. Angelus didn't have to wait long as Buffy and her friends walked out of the apartment, each with pensive looks on their faces.

"Must've found out," he muttered to himself. "Oh well."

Angelus notice Riley and Buffy hanging back and talking, so he lowered his passenger side window down slightly. He couldn't hear much, but figured out that Buffy was starting to explain to Riley about Faith.

"She had a thing for Angel at one point," he heard Buffy say. Angelus couldn't help up and laughed slightly.

"More like she wanted me as much as Buff wanted me," he said out loud to himself. It was a slight mistake to say though. Buffy popped her head up as her sensitive hearing picked up his voice and Angelus froze. "Oh shit," he said to himself in surprise. He saw Buffy's eyes land on the black Pontiac and she started walking forward. He switched the gears on the car and burned rubbed as he took off in a quick dash.

Buffy's eyes followed the black car as it flew down the street and turned to the right, narrowly missing another car. "What is it? Did you know who that was?" Asked Riley.

"No, must've just been some stranger," replied Buffy as nonchalantly as she could. She knew who it was and she was determined now to find out if Angelus was still homicidal as before.

A few hours later, Angelus drove back towards the university after driving around and following Faith. He saw as she broke into to a clothing store from the back and walking out with a different change of clothes. The car idled as Angelus looked at the huge amount of police around and Buffy with Willow running towards a fleeing Faith. He looked on with rapt attention as Faith got away and Buffy turned to Willow in frustration.

He laughed once again at the misfortune of the slayer, but got quiet as a cop tapped on his window. Angelus growled loudly and vamped out as he lowered the window down. The cop's face paled at another fierce growl from Angelus and he took off running. Angelus laughed as he found that he could scare people. "Well not as bad as killing, but hey… I could make this work," he said to himself in glee. He put his windows back up and shifted his face back to his human face. He switched gears on the car and took off. Little did he know that Buffy was following the car's movements.

He went back to his apartment and parked the car in the shadows of an alley next to where his apartment was located it. He went inside and decided to hide out until the next night.

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The following night Angelus walked towards the University, but noticed Faith walking towards a very familiar part of town. He shrugged and decided to "check" up on Buffy. He didn't why he was following Buffy more than he wanted to, but he didn't look into it. As he noticed the University Campus in the distance, he felt a familiar presence and smiled widely.

"William, how's it going?" Angelus asked as he stopped walking, but stayed looking forward.

Spike threw his cigarette to the ground and stepped out of the shadows, smirking widely as he approached his grand-sire. "Angelus, how's it going?" He said in amusement. Spike knew that Angelus had a chip also, but Angelus didn't need to know that he knew.

"It's been okay, can't complain," Angelus remarked nonchalantly. He turned around to face Spike and kept his smirked into place.

Spike shivered at the smirk and he felt that even though Angelus was chipped also, the dark vampire was still capable of intimidation. And he intimidated well. "How's the hunt these days?" Spike's grin grew even more as Angelus hesitated in responding.

"How is it going with you?" Angelus shot right back. He started walking a slow circle around Spike as he decided to mess with the blonde vampire. "Maybe I should ask this; 'How's the pig's blood these days? Need to mix it with the small amount of human blood to give a better taste?'"

"You would know, wouldn't you? Rumor has it you're a chipped ponce now? Isn't that right?" Spike remarked right back as he followed Angelus' movements.

"At least I don't have to kiss the slayer's ass just so she won't stake me. Ah and I'm not reduced to going over to the Scoobies for cash just to get by," Angelus slightly quipped back.

"Shut your gob!" Spike said angrily.

"Why Willy, what's this? Hit a never there, didn't it?" Angelus said in amusement as he let his Irish brogue come out. "Ye were never one ta hide ye emotions. Always were weak and needed ta have the help of others ta get ye're way." Angelus stopped walking around and faced Spike. "Tell me, how's Dru these days? I've been having an itch that only she can scratch, or is she still fucking around with that Chaos Demon?"

"You bloody bastard," Spike yelled out as he vamped out and launched himself at Angelus.

Angelus giggled joyfully and danced out of the way of Spike's attack. He dodged all of Spike's punches and kicks as best as he could. Spike was getting even angrier at the shit eating grin on his sire's face at every punch and kicked he blocked that he just stopped swinging and decided to use Angelus word games against him.

"What, the great Angelus not fighting? Why, will ya get a headache from a little chip in ye're head?" Spike said joyfully. He laughed as Angelus' face turned murderous.

"Fuck it," the dark vampire growled out and he vamped out and swung at Spike. His fist connected on Spike's cheek and Angelus waited for the pain to come but it didn't. "Well, this is new. Oh Willy, what was that of me not hitting back?" Angelus asked as he swung back at Spike.

Spike ducked the punch and kicked Angelus in the stomach. "You hit like a bint. No wonder slayer kicked ye're arse back ta hell." Angelus growled and he gave Spike a huge uppercut that knocked the blonde vampire back.

"At least I fought her face to face and didn't need to resort to spells or help," Angelus snapped back as kicked Spike on the back. Spike caught another incoming kick and tripped the larger vampire down and punched him across the face.

"At least… Ah who gives a flying shit," Spike remarked as he swung at Angelus again. Angelus avoided the hit and snapped back up just as Spike jumped back up. Both vampires were slightly bloody and ready to fight but both just stared at each other. Both of them were alike, both chipped vampires that had conscience forced upon them. They needed each other's help to survive, even if they hated each other's guts.

"See ye around Spike," Angelus said and turned on his heel and left.

"Yeah that's right, see ya around ya poof," Spike muttered to himself.

"Fuck you," carried back to Spike's ears and Spike chuckled and walked back to his crypt.

As Angelus walked away, he felt renewed with energy as he found that he could hit demons. _This is going to be good, _Angelus thought to himself as he walked towards the university. He mused along the way this new discovery but his mind shifted quickly as he picked up running footsteps. He dove out of the way and saw Buffy running as fast as she could towards some damn place. Angelus followed her scent and walked slowly towards the area her house was at. He walked up to the window and noticed that the house was thrashed and that Buffy and Faith were fighting it out like a couple of martial artists at competition. He saw that Faith ran over to the mantle over the fireplace and reached into a box. He saw the object glint in the light and he squinted his eyes as he made out the object.

"Oh shit," he said to himself as he realized what the object was. As Faith grabbed Buffy's hand she slapped her hand containing the object with the hand that Faith caught and a light starts to glow brightly from the clasped hands. The light dissipates and both girls are knocked back by some unknown force and Angelus stands looking surprised. He turned towards the streets to hear the cops about to arrive and he decided to blend into the shadows. "This should be interesting," he says to himself with a smirk of what's to come.

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**AN: Read and Review please! Thanks so much!**


	4. Moments of Insanity

**AN: Another update! Thanks for those who reviewed, offered some advice, and signed on to read the story. Much thanks to tlf for some help. I do need a Beta and I'm currently looking for one. So if you know anyone or if you want to volunteer much thanks! **

**This takes place during "Who are you?" Buffy is Faith and Faith is Buffy. Since Angelus is in the series now, some events will be slightly different. Some dialogue was lifted from the episode.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."**

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Angelus stuck to the shadows as the police and paramedics arrived at Buffy's house. He overheard some dialogue about the situation that Buffy was in. He knew what the device Faith used was, yet he found the whole situation amusing for him. He wondered how Buffy was going to get through this series of events without trying to kill anybody. As an officer handcuffed a semi-conscious Buffy, he heard an officer state that he would return in the morning to ask some questions. He stayed near the huge oak tree in front of Buffy's window and waited till the coast was clear.

He had a feeling that Buffy was going need all the help that she could get and Angelus figured that he had nothing better to do. So with that in mind, he jogged away as quietly and swiftly as he could. He had some planning to do and it started with a hidden room that was located in the mansion that only he knew where to find.

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The mansion was still in its gothic style condition but dustier from not being used in so long. Angelus walked in from the garden and found that the doors were still broken. His memory was swamped with some passion filled nights with Drusilla and Buffy. The ones with Drusilla were just to vent lust and frustration out, but the ones with Buffy caused him to pause for a few moments. She was so eager to learn and to experience new things that Angelus had to smile at the control Angel exerted during the times.

He could feel unwanted things start in his mind and loins, so he tampered down his lust and focused on finding the room. He walked towards the huge bookcase that was still littered with unwanted books, but he was surprised to see that it wasn't dusty at all. He paused and took a deep breath and was surprised at the scent in the air. Buffy was here some time ago and Angelus paused again. He turned to see the couch and saw some blankets that actually seemed recently used.

"Well, what's this? Buff is hiding some emotions," he muttered to himself. He walked over to the couch and ran a hand gently over the blankets strewn across the couch. He took his hand away and focused on tampering down the urge to go find Buffy and question her actions. He then turned around and walked back over to the bookcase. He ran his hand behind the bookcase and pushed the wooden case away from the wall. He kneeled down and found a loose brick that hasn't been moved since he first discovered it.

He pulled the brick out and reached inside the small space for a lever that was facing to the left. He grabbed the lever and pulled it the opposite way and the wall popped out. Angelus stood up straight and pushed the wall back to reveal a small hidden room. He walked inside the dark enclosure and used his vampiric night vision to look around. He walked over to a shelf that held numerous bags that were decorated with fine silks and weaves. He picked up a bag on the lowest shelf and opened the bag to reveal a huge wad of cash, a few diamonds, and a number of gold coins. He grabbed the cash and the gold coins and closed the bag and replaced the bag in its original location. He walked out of the room and pushed the wall back. He replaced the brick and pushed the bookcase back to its original position and stepped back a bit. He pockets the coins and cash and walked out of the mansion.

_Now to recruit some distractions," _he thought to himself as he started to head in the direction of an old hangout spot.

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Willy poured another shot for one of his few patrons left in town. Ever since the Initiative rolled into town, his business was suffering. Human patrons that were comfortable with demons weren't coming around anymore and his demon patrons were either too embarrassed to show up or weren't town anymore. He sighed softly as he replaced the Jim Beam Whiskey bottle back on the shelf behind him and grabbed with white washcloth thrown over his shoulder. He started wiping down an empty section of the bar when the door swung open and revealed a face he hasn't seen in over a year.

"Angel, my good man, how are you?" He asked politely as he continued his cleaning.

"Willy, lad, it's been a while hasn't it?" Angelus responded back with a bit of his Irish brogue.

"Yes it has, what can I get for you?" Willy asked as he slapped the washcloth over his left shoulder and turned around to face the drinks.

"Nothing really, I just need to recruit some help. The slayer needs some help and I'm in a good mood," Angelus replied as he eyed around 4 vampires sitting and quietly talking among themselves near the back of the bar.

"Recruit? The slayer needs help? Well, be my guest. I doubt if you'll find any willing help, been having problems."

"We all have," Angelus muttered to himself. He walked over to the vampires and reached inside his pocket. He threw the wad of cash and some of the gold coins on top of the table, startling the vampires. They shot angry glares at Angelus, but quickly averted their eyes as they realized who it was.

"Angelus," one of the vampires said.

"Idiots, okay I'm not going to beat around the bush. All this is yours," Angelus pointed to the cash, "If you guys…" Angelus gave a slightly dramatic pause before continuing to speak. "Help me with a distraction of sorts. All that you guys need to do is just cause a bunch of noise and that's it. Simple enough for you?" He asked sarcastically.

The vampire that spoke before stood up and grabbed the wad of cash. "I'm in," he stated as he turned the wad around in his palm. The other vampires followed suit and Angelus smirked widely.

"Excellent, let's go."

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Angelus and the group of vampires ran across the streets of Sunnydale quietly as they approached a scene of an accident. He recognized the lettering, license plates, and color of the crashed police car. He turned around to the group of vampires and signaled for them to stop. "Wait here for a moment," Angelus said and then walked towards the accident.

He approached a female officer assessing the scene and put on his best puppy dog face. "Excuse me sir, what happened?"

The female officer turned to chase away another onlooker, but gasped at the sheer beauty of the male. "Oh hi, what do you need?" She asked a slightly breathless, but flirty manner.

"The police car there, what happened to it?" He asked in a slightly worried tone. But inside he was smirked triumphantly as the officer was lured by his charms.

"Yes, the accident. Apparently an armored truck crashed into the police car and then three individuals kidnapped the suspect. She was being transported to the hospital for an evaluation of health," the officer said as she checked out Angelus.

"Do you know her name?"

"Um, her name is Faith Lehane. Do you know her?"

"In a way," he said in a worried tone. "Okay then, thanks. I'll be on the lookout for her." Angelus then turned away from the officer and walked back into the shadows where the rest of the group was. He could feel the eyes of the officer on him, but he ignored the gaze and concentrated on his task.

"Okay, we have to find an armored truck that would seem slightly dented in the front. Knowing this town like I do, then it should be easy. Meet me by the Bronze in 30 minutes," Angelus said to the vampires. He walked away and headed for the Bronze, musing along the way as to why he has decided to help Buff. _Maybe to get her to not stake or to just get on her good side. Yep, this is a moment of insanity, _Angelus thought to himself.

As he approached the Bronze, he was well aware that the other slayer was inside. He could feel Spike inside as well and decided to enter. Once inside, he could see Faith and Spike talking, but mostly it seemed that Spike was pissed and Faith was enjoying taunting the chipped vampire. He could tell that Faith was uncomfortable wearing Buffy's body and all her movements were unnatural. She didn't have the same grace as Buffy did and he wondered if Spike could catch the differences. He neared the pair and hid behind the stairs right near them.

"_I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little more. And you know why I don't? Because it's wrong," _He overheard Faith say to Spike and suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. Mainly because he doubted if Faith could really do that, but he knew first hand that Buffy could.

"_When I get this chip out, you and me are going to have a confrontation," _He heard Spike snark back to Faith. _Idiot really thinks it's the Slayer. I knew he was an idiot, but this is just plain retarded, _Angelus thought to himself.

"_Count on it," _He heard Faith say in Buffy's most sultry voice and then she turned and walked away. Spike growled and started walking away, not knowing that Angelus was a few feet behind him giggling like a schoolgirl.

He decided to mess with Faith a little bit while he waited for the others and followed her scent to out of the Bronze. He saw her turn into a semi-dark alley and ran as fast as he could to the other side. He stood in the shadows and growled loudly, startling Faith out of her musings. He saw her look around and stepped into the light for a brief moment.

"Oh Faith, come here Faithy," he said in a mocking tone. Faith's eyes shot up at the sound of the voice and briefly caught a glimpse of Angelus before he stepped back into the shadows. He walked away from the alley, leaving a bewildered Faith muttering that she needed to get out of town fast and noticed her returning back towards the Bronze.

He walked back towards the Bronze and found the vampires waiting for him near the entrance. He approached the group and noticed that only three were there. "What happened to the other one?" He asked the group of vampires. If it was possible, they paled even more and muttered some incoherent remarks. "Whatever, have you guys found anything?"

One of the vampires was glad of the change in subject and spoke up. "There is a warehouse near the docks where an armored truck was seen parking inside. Around 3 or 4 dudes armed with crossbows were inside guarding the truck."

"Good now here's the plan: Once we get there, run inside a just distract the guys. Growl, throw a stick, just do something. Got it?" Angelus asked the group. At seeing their nods he led the way to the warehouse, following the directions of the vampires. Once they approached the warehouse, Angelus stopped and turned to the others. "Oh this is gonna hurt," he said to himself. "Kill them if you have to," Angelus then gritted his teeth as he felt a small shock in head. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on breathing unnecessarily. The vampires didn't question what was wrong with the dark vampire and just waited till he recovered. "Got it?" He asked them once again. Seeing their nods once again, Angelus led the way to the warehouse. He broke off from the group and headed toward the back of the warehouse. He heard discussions on how the guys inside were going to kill Buffy.

_Nobody but me gets kill Buff, _he thought angrily to himself. After a beat of silence, he heard the vampire group storm in and growl loudly. One of the three tackled a goon and soon all four goons were chasing the three vampires out of the warehouse. Angelus found a back door and kicked it down and ran over to the back of the truck. He heard a gasp and just smirked as he ripped off the lock.

"Get out of here Buff," he said to her.

Buffy was stunned at seeing her rescuer. She didn't even think that Angelus would ever help her. He was more likely to join the Council Watchers at having her killed than helping her escape! She jumped out of the back and faced off against Angelus.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked him curiously.

Angelus stayed quiet and stared deep into the unfamiliar brown eyes, but he felt the familiarity of her soul inside the body and behind her eyes. "Because… No one but me gets to kill you," he said while smirking at her.

Buffy shook her head and just smiled gently at her former demon stalker. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," she said gently.

"Don't get soft of me Buff. Think of this as an IOU and a moment of insanity," Angelus turned to walk away but was stopped by her voice.

"See you around sometime?" She asked curiously.

Angelus looked up and just shrugged. "We'll see. I bid you adieu slayer," he bowed dramatically and walked back out into the night. Buffy just stared at retreating figure and didn't think over about his peculiar actions. She jumped into the driver seat of the armored car and took off in the direction of Giles's apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A couple of nights later, Buffy patrolled one of the 12 cemeteries in Sunnydale, musing on the actions of Angelus a few nights ago. She felt better at being back in her own body, but she was still thinking how Angelus knew it was her without her saying anything. She heard a rustling sound behind her and stopped and turned at the sound. Seeing Angelus walk out from the shadows with his patented smirk in place, she slightly relaxed but still stayed on guard in case the dark vampire started his mind playing games.

"Angelus, what are you doing here?" She asked cautiously.

"Seeing that it was a beautiful night and the stars were out, I decided to go for a walk," he quipped out to her.

"Right and you just—happened to know I was here?" She asked pointedly.

"Hey it's a small town. Not many places to go here," he said nonchalantly as he leaned back against a tree. Buffy noticed that Angelus was wearing his leather pants against and she silently admired his natural bulge. Angelus noticed where her eyes were and he chuckled in amusement. "See something you like Buff?" He asked as he caught her eyes.

Buffy's eyes widen and she blushed profusely, causing Angelus to laugh. "Nothing, I've got to get back to patrolling. Stay out of my way or I'll stake you. And I don't want to stake a neutered puppy," she remarked with a bit of irritation.

Angelus scowled and stood up straight. "Whatever, I just wanted to congratulate you on returning back to your body. But I see it'll just be redundant," Angelus said angrily. He was about to walk away when Buffy stopped him.

"Wait, there is something I do want to ask out and it's been bothering for sometime because no one didn't know and yet you did and you didn't even speak to me or I didn't even speak to you…" Buffy was cut off from her babbling as Angelus chuckled and spoke to her.

"Buff, you're babbling. Just ask what you want," Angelus gently said to her. He didn't know why he was speaking to her in a normal conversational tone, but he figured it must've been the chip. Plus it was nice every once in a while to just speak to a person with him wanting to eat them or them wanting to kick his ass.

"Okay," she said sheepishly. "How did you know it was me, when I was in Faith's body?"

Angelus stayed silent for a while that Buffy thought he wouldn't answer, but was placated as he answered. "I know you Buff. You and I may hate each other's guts, but I know you better than most people. Hell I may even know you better than you know yourself. We're natural enemies, but regardless of that I know you. Don't think this mushy moment is a start of a friendship, think of it as a truce. One day we will fight again, but until then I'm not your enemy," He turned around and walked away from her, melting back into the shadows like some kind of dark anti-hero.

Buffy just smiled at her former enemy and continued her patrol. _This is an insane turn of events, _she thought to herself.

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**AN: Please read and review! Criticism is also wanted! I'm still fairly new at this so a little help would be awesome! **


	5. Opportunities

**AN: Short chapter, but vital to this part of the story. Any mistakes are mine and please let me know where you spot them so I can make the corrections, thanks! Oh and thanks for all the reviews! You guys bring motivation!**

**This takes place after "Superstar" and during "Where the Wild Things Are."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

For several days, Angelus stayed hidden in his apartment, only going out to get blood from the butchers shop. One of the reasons why he saw staying out of sight and hopefully out-of-mind were that his senses were going crazy. Angelus sometimes survived through the years from paying attention to his senses. He avoided death and survived to cause death by listening to his senses. Of course, sometimes he charged into places without thinking, but that was rare.

But the real reason why Angelus was avoiding the outside world was his actions from the previous week. He was still unsure at why he went and helped Buffy. He knew why he hired the help, because he couldn't do it himself due to his chip. But still, he was wondering constantly at his actions. It was entirely out of character of him, but yet he felt a small smidgen of relaxation at helping Buff. He wasn't sure he liked it though or if he would do it again.

Angelus was sure that if continued to ponder and brood about this, he would reach the same level of broodiness that Angel had. _And no way am I reaching that, _he thought to himself one night. He stepped out into the night and felt his senses start warn him, so the dark vampire stayed in his apartment.

At the end of the week though, Angelus walked out and felt nothing around. He never knew what the cause was, but he wasn't sure he was too keen on finding out what it might have been. _I might become some kind of follower for some nerd looking for popularity, _he thought to himself.

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Angelus walked through a dead calm cemetery minding his own business. He carried a brown paper bag that contained two pints of Pig's blood and a pint of Otter's blood. He wasn't sure who ate the meat of an Otter, but he liked the taste of the Otter. He stayed in the shadows to avoid Buffy and sometimes the commandos. Ever since breaking out of the Initiative, he stayed well hidden from the soldiers. He heard through the demon pipeline that they were on the lookout for him, but Angelus just kept his nose clean.

Unfortunately for him, this night wasn't agreeing on him.

Angelus stumbled into a clearing and saw Buffy and Riley battling vampire. He melted back into the shadows and watched the fight. He was actually excited with the anticipation of the upcoming kill that he failed to notice a demon pushing him out of the way. Angelus' bag flew out of his hands and the contents spilled all across the ground. The demon didn't acknowledge the rapidly angering vampire and pushed Riley and the vampire he was holding out of the way from Buffy's crossbow.

He stared at the blood across the ground and his rage peaked. _I'm reduced to this! The goddamn Initiative did this to me! And now demons and vampires fail to acknowledge me!_ Angelus growled deadly as he stood up. Ignoring Buffy's quote of 'fangs and getting horny,' Angelus charged at both the demon and vampire, surprising Buffy and Riley.

He pushed the demon to the ground and started up to the vampire. With a smirk of pure evilness, he crushed the throat of the demon with his foot. "You're next," he said with cold, calculating voice. Buffy and Riley winced at the instant death of the demon and shivered at the sound of Angelus' voice. The vampire stopped and growled at Angelus and charged. He threw out a punch at the dark vampire, but Angelus avoided the hit by catching the vampire's fist. He pushed at the vampire's elbow, breaking it and then he tripped the vampire down. The whole time, Angelus was ranting at being disrespected, losing his reputation, and being nothing but a neutered vampire with teeth. He threw the vampire over a tombstone and walked over to Buffy.

"Let me borrow this," he said and ripped Buffy's crossbow out of her hands. He stalked over to behind the tombstone and kicked the down vampire across the face. He took aim and fired a bolt into the chest of the vampire, relishing at the kill. He looked up and stared at the surprise looks of Riley and Buffy's face. "What? They pissed me off," he said with a growl.

He walked back over and pushed the crossbow into Riley's hands and chest. Riley grunted and turned around to say something to Angelus, but was quiet as Angelus seemingly disappeared from sight. He looked down at Buffy and shrugged, "Well that was different."

Buffy looked up to Riley and delivered a coy smile. "Yes it was, maybe we should tell Giles."

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The next night Angelus was sitting in his sofa chair, drinking his Pig/Otter blood mixture. He was thinking about his actions once again. He felt something in him wanting to change and try out something new and different, but ignored it mostly. That was a path that he didn't want to go through and he hated it.

A knock on his door surprised him out of his thinking and he glared at the door. Another loud series of knocks sounded and a voice he hated spoke up. "Open the door ya ponce! I knew ye're in there!" Spike said through the door.

Angelus growled and opened the door. "What do you Spiky?"

"Ta know whether or not ye're gonna go on a blood run. I'll tag along since I don't have any blood left."

Angelus turned and saw the last of his meal and figured he could always use more blood. "Okay, but I'm not doing any goody-goody shit like you do. I have money, so you find your own way to pay," Angelus vehemently stated.

"Whatever," Spike replied. Both vampires trotted up the stairs and into the night, heading towards the butcher shop. "So, rumor has it that you helped slayer and her boy-toy chum kill some baddies."

Angelus growled lightly. "They pissed me off."

"Right, so it's nothing like wanting to off them yourself," Spike said in an effort to have Angelus say something and get shocked. Much to his displeasure, Angelus stayed silent. "Ah so ye're not wanting to kill her?"

"Look Spike, I don't want kill Buffy, but I do want to fight her. It's a difference," Angelus said with a dangerous growl.

Spike chuckled and shook his head. "Wow, so ye're not the same bloke as you were two years ago."

"No I guess not. I can't really explain it and I really don't want to. It's—well it's complicated," Angelus said on a sigh.

Spike just shrugged and both vampires continued their walk to get some blood. Spike stopped as he stared down an alley and spotted an amusing sight; a sad and moody Anya. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Angelus looked and just shook his head and continued his walk. Before reaching the butcher shop, he stopped and asked himself an important question. "Why am I going with Spike to get blood? I don't even like him!"

He scratched his head and turned away to walk back to another direction. "Maybe I'll bother Buff."

He then started walking to the University. Along the way, he was thinking of what to speak to her about. Maybe her patrols or how's she been since the Faith fiasco. Maybe he would ask her about how she's doing. _Oh damn, what am I doing? _He asked himself angrily. He mused the whole way to the university when he picked up her scent. He sniffed the air and followed her scent all the way to the Lowell House that was jam packed with a party. He growled slightly at noticing the location to the air vent he escaped the Initiative from.

Suddenly, Buffy's scent changed into that of her arousal. _Oh damn,_ he told himself as he recalled the way Buffy turned when she was turned on. But that was usually Angel that did it. In a way, it was him also and he turned away from the raging party and walked aimlessly. He walked into a cemetery, but was surprised as a figure emerged from the shadow.

He stopped and recognized the demon hybrid that killed the Fyarl Demon a few weeks ago. "Who are you?" Angelus asked nonchalantly.

"My name is Adam and I've been following you," Adam said surprising Angelus.

"Really, then you must know not to mess with me," Angelus stated as his posture became hostile.

"Please Angelus; I am not here to fight. I am here to simply speak."

"Not interested in what you have to say." Angelus then turned to walk away in the opposite direction till Adam spoke to him.

"I can help you Angelus. I can make you as you once were. I know you must be suffering with the chip."

Angelus perked up and walked over to face the huge hybrid. "Okay then, speak."

Adam smiled and the proceeded to speak.

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**AN: Read and Review please! Thanks so much!**


	6. Divide and Conquer

**AN: I'm back with another update! I took the weekend off to "recharge the batteries" lol. Thanks for all the reviews, story alerts, author alerts, and the favorites! I'm sorry that I haven't replied to reviews, but I've been busy. I'll get around to replying to reviews soon. I hope you guys are still following! And please, if you spot any mistakes, let me know so i can correct them! Some dialogue was lifted from the show! It's not much so I don't feel guilty lol. Oh and I skipped over 'New Moon Rising' because I felt that Angelus wouldn't really care about helping getting a Werewolf back. There is a mention of the episode in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**This takes places during "The Yoko Factor."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"**

Angelus walked out of the cavern with a new plan in mind. Adam was big and ambitious, he'll give the huge lug that, but when it came to planning? No one even came close to the plans Angelus had or could think up. His coat billowed as he left and he smirked as his plan formed up nicely. His first stop was going to be with an old—"Friend."

Along the way he mused about the recent events of the Werewolf coming back to town. He didn't even know that Oz left, as if he really cared. He stayed in his apartment during those events, not wanting to get bothered with the Slayer and her friend's business. Plus he was making his own plans. He may be working with Adam, but Angelus had a backup plan. He would resort to one of the old vampire traditions; he would fight on the winning side.

He came out of his musing and walked in a brisk pace, knowing that the Initiative soldiers were capturing demons and vampires like crazy. He heard about the influx of occupants down in the Labs and he had an idea of what their plan was. He didn't allow himself to dwell on that smashing good time. His thoughts were centered on doing the near impossible. But he didn't earn his reputation by playing it safe; he was the one vampire that other vampires tried to be.

As he approached the flat, he noticed the occupant was alone. He was sure the occupant was going to get a fright and Angelus couldn't wait. He approached the door and heard the sounds of shoes scuffling around. He then heard the locks unlatch and the door swung wide open. He smirked widely as Giles paled at seeing who was standing at the door.

"Hello Rupert."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the cave, Adam approached two empty tables located in another section of the cave. He placed his palms flat on the surface of the table to the right of him and he breathed with anticipation. "Yes, soon it will be time to take action. The future looks bright and hopeful. Much research and development must be under taken pretty soon."

Adam paused and started walking towards the front of the cave. "And soon, Angelus will be at my beck and call."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Giles stumbled back in shock at seeing the dark vampire in front of him once again. He knew those cold, dark eyes and instantly regretted treating Angel the same way. In that instant, Giles could literally see the difference between Angel and Angelus. Angel's eyes always had a shine to his eyes, while Angelus was cold and dark.

Seeing Giles stumbling back, Angelus entered the apartment and looked around. He refrained from saying anything about the events of two years ago. But he couldn't keep his mouth quiet much. "You've redecorated the place. It looks nicer."

"W-what do you want?" Giles said shakily, but was starting to gain his composure back as he remembered the predicament Angelus was in with his chip.

"Rupert, I just came to talk. Can't a man visit an old friend?" Angelus questioned with feigned innocence.

"But you're not a man. That's where you are flawed at," Giles responded with more confidence.

Angelus paused and shrugged and started a slow walk off the living room area. Giles stayed near his kitchen when he had a crossbow hidden at. "Rupert, you wound me with your words," Angelus suddenly stated and he put his hand on his chest to emphasize the sarcasm. "Really, you've always been articulated and I have admired that greatly," he said as he turned around and held his patented smirk.

"Well, I can't say much of what I admire from you. Except the times when Buffy throttled you. Say how's the hunt going now these days? It must be excruciating to know that won't bite into a warm throat again, correct?" Giles asked the vampire. He let a smirk grace his face as Angelus hesitated before speaking again.

"Ah well, I get by. I know if I rant and complain nothing will get done, so I'm learning to live with it," Angelus said as he controlled his infamous anger. But the vampire realized what Giles was doing so he decided two can play at that game. "Rupert I have to ask, how's the leg these days?"

"You bloody bastard!" Giles exclaimed as he was reminded how Angelus joyfully tortured him for hours. Angelus chuckled joyfully and Giles immediately got quiet, knowing that Angelus got what he wanted.

"Rupert, you should really, REALLY, learn to control that anger. I know a few breathing techniques that would help you immensely," Angelus offered almost helpfully.

"Bloody brilliant idea, especially from someone as wonderful as you," Giles said sarcastically as Angelus smirked even more. He walked over to one of his bookcases as Angelus walked over to the front door.

"Well, if this is the type of treatment I'm going to get, then I won't divulge the reason behind my visit," Angelus said as he looked up to the ceiling and then back at Giles.

Giles lifted a glass cup from the bookcase and then walked over to the small bar in his apartment. He picked up a bottle of whiskey and poured some of the liquid into the cup, filling it halfway. "What's the information, I'll make sure Buffy gets it. It is for Buffy am I right?"

Angelus nodded in response and held the silence till Giles got impatient once gain. "Would you bloody please tell me already? I'm not jumping for joy at having a mass murdered in my home."

"Why thank you for the compliment Rupert," Angelus said joyfully and with feigned surprise.

"Hardly a compliment," Giles muttered as he lifted the glass to his lips and drank some of the burning liquid.

"Back to the topic at hand, I'd rather tell Buffy on my own," Angelus said with a serious expression on his face.

"No, I'd prefer if you stay away from her. Tell me the information and I'll let her know," Giles said as he drank a bit more of his drink.

"Yeah and let me know how that goes," Angelus sarcastically said as he turned to open the door, but stopped as Giles spoke up. Angelus smirked for a second before turning around to face the former watcher.

"Now what's that suppose to mean?" Giles angrily demanded as he drank the rest of the whiskey.

"Well, it's not like she's going to listen much to you. As I recall, back when the high school was standing tall and proud, she mostly walked all over you and left to be with my dumber self or she was fighting me. Not once have I seen her take you seriously," Angelus stated with such calmness, yet cruelty that Giles grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured more to drink. It may be cruel, but he knew it was true.

"So what make you think that she'll listen to you, Rupert?" Angelus asked as he leaned against the door.

"Because…" Giles trailed off as his insecurities caught up to him.

Angelus had to bite his lip to keep from laughing and he turned around to open the door. "That's very reassuring Rupert, but it does emphasize my statement," Angelus said calmly.

"She will listen to me damn it, because I'm her watcher!" Giles vehemently stated.

"Right and I can walk in the sun. In any way, let her know I have information. She may listen to you or may not. I'll be around," Angelus said as he opened the door and left. He smirked as he closed the door behind him. "One down, three to go," he muttered to himself.

Inside, Giles threw the glass down and grabbed the whiskey bottle. He didn't want to listen to Angelus, but he knew the vampire was speaking the truth. Angelus didn't lie when he knew the truth would hurt so much worse. "Oh hell," Giles said as he took a huge gulp of the whiskey.

XXXXXXXXX

Angelus felt good after talking with Rupert. He couldn't wait to talk to the rest of them, especially the Harris boy. He always managed to piss of Angel and Angelus clamored at the soul to retaliate. Now he was in control and even though he couldn't hit the damn idiot, he could use his natural ability to hurt people with words. He didn't know if some kind of demon god was smiling down on him but as he rounded a turn to go to the butcher shop, he spotted Xander and his girlfriend Anya.

He blended into the shadows as the couple passed him by and he stepped out and made himself known. "Alexander and Anyanka. Wow, you guys make a terrific couple. It's the former demon and the demon magnet," Angelus said sarcastically joyful and managed to startle the couple.

"Jeez, for a second there I actually thought it was something dangerous," Xander quipped out as he remembered the chip in Angelus head.

"What are you talking about? He is dangerous, and extremely handsome," Anya said as she admired the way Angelus' leather pants fit perfectly.

"Anya, don't say that about him!" Xander hissed out to her.

"What, I'm just stating a simple fact," she replied back nonchalantly.

Angelus chuckled, startling the couple back to his attention. "Well, at least she does have some taste in men," he said cheekily.

"Shut up, if you wanted to say something go ahead. I mean, you caught our attention for some reason or are you turning like Spike? Just all bark and no bite," Xander said with a sneer.

Angelus just chuckled and then smirked at the couple. "Not really, I'm just surprised you're still in Sunnydale."

"What do you mean?" Asked Xander in confusion.

"Well I remember your girl buddies talking one night before you guys graduated. They wondered if you're going to the army or something," Angelus stated with a straight face. He knew this was a lie, but he twisted it around to make it seem like the truth.

"When did you join the army?!" Screeched out Anya in surprise.

"Anya calm down, I didn't join the army. I didn't even contemplate about joining!" He vehemently said to her. Xander then turned his face to see Angelus with a calm, and slightly confused face.

"Well they said that you had a knack for all that army commando stuff. Personally, I always thought you would go for the uniform and the guns. Not to mention the all-male-showers, but I can see you don't swing that way," Angelus stated as he shrugged nonchalantly and turned to leave.

"Now wait just a minute, am I not or ever was gay!" Xander yelled out in outrage.

"You were gay?!? How come I'm only finding this out now?!" Anya screamed out at Xander.

"Hey you were always hanging around Buff and the witch, but yet you never did anything. So frankly, I thought you were a fruit fly. I even thought that your thing with Cordelia was just a ploy," Angelus calmly said over his shoulder.

Xander sputtered while Anya huffed and started power walking away. He angrily cursed himself and went to try and mend things with Anya. Along the way, he also mused if what Angelus said was true. Did Willow and Buffy really think that Xander belong in the army?

XXXXXXXXXX

Angelus reveled in victory as he turned down an alley. He ducked behind a dumpster as he spotted a squad of soldiers coming down the alley the opposite way. Once they cleared the alley, Angel emerged from behind the dumpster and continued walking. He walked over to his apartment and went inside. He grabbed a few disks and some notebooks and walked out of the apartment.

He walked towards the university, but decided to taunt Giles a bit more. He looked through the window and spotted Willow and her lesbian lover Tara. "Oh this is just too easy," he muttered to himself.

He knocked on the door and went inside, startling Willow and Tara and making Giles take another long drink from another whiskey bottle. "Well Rupert, I've decided to let you in on the info." Angelus threw the notebook next to Willow's laptop. He then took out the disks from his coat pocket and handed them over to Willow. "I figured that you wanted to feel large and in charge so there you go."

"Thanks, I feel so much better knowing you're looking for ways to better myself," Giles stated drunkenly. He muttered something about the restroom and disappeared down the hall. Angelus then turned to Willow and Tara who were reading through the notebook. Willow picked up a disk and inserted the disk into her laptop. Her laptop made several electronic clicking sounds before a ding was heard.

"So what was that about?" Angelus asked in confusion.

Willow tried to calm down as the dark vampire asked the question. "Um, it's well the disk is encrypted."

"Encrypted, like unable to read or something like that?" He said while managing to sound interesting.

"Yes exactly, I didn't know that you knew about encryptions," Willow stated in surprise.

Angelus just rolled his eyes and started walking to the door. "You can unlock it or whatever it is you do right?"

"Decrypt a government disk on my personal laptop? Sure, it'll be easy as difficult pie," Willow said in confidence. Tara placed her hands on Willow's shoulders and squeezed affectionately.

"Funny, because I heard you weren't all techno-savvy anymore," Angelus stated.

"Wh-wha-what do you mean?" Willow asked as her confidence was shaken.

"Well I heard from the grapevine that you went off your kilter when the Werewolf kid left. I heard that you did a spell that backfired and almost cause Buffy and Spike to get married. Oh I would've paid to see that," Angelus said with a broad smile.

Willow squirmed in her seat and Tara looked down a bit.

Angelus didn't let up though, "And I also heard that you weren't into computers anymore."

"Yes I am!" Willow stated strongly.

"Yes she is!" Tara said right after her girlfriend.

"Yes well, that may be, but seems like you're interests," Angelus paused as he looked at Tara, "Are elsewhere these days"

This time, Tara squirmed under the gaze of Angelus. Angelus smiled and decided to deliver the strike. "Plus, the Harris boy told Buff that you would get over this phase, that it's just a…. Trend you would say," Angelus said while he controlled the urge to smile.

"When did he say that? And what did Buffy say?" Willow asked softly as Angelus' words reverberated in her head.

"Buff defended you big time, but Harris just said that it was a phase," Angelus said in a sigh. He glanced at the Wiccan couple and smirked a bit at seeing them looking sad. "Well, I'll see you guys around. I have things to attend to." Angelus then turned and walked out the door. He hid behind some shadows and waited for Xander and Buffy to arrive. Once again, luck was on his side. He watched as Xander arrived first and then Buffy a few minutes later. He didn't even have to wait and he walked away amidst of the arguing going on in the background.

Angelus smirked the whole way back to Adam's cave. "Oh honey, I'm home."

Adam appeared from the shadows and smirked triumphantly at Angelus. "You were successful?"

"Yeah, it was too easy. There was no challenge at all," Angelus said as he reveled in the ability to hurt the Scoobies even though he couldn't hit them or kill them.

"Yes, you will be an excellent servant and pet," Adam said cryptically.

Angelus bristled and growled at Adam. "Hey, I'm no one's pet or servant got that? Now I believe you owed me a chip out of my head."

"In due time Angelus, for now, I must obey some orders," Adam stated as he approached the increasingly angering vampire. Before Angelus could leap into action, something hit him from the back of the head, knocking him out old.

"I've been waiting for you," Adam said to the person who knocked out Angelus.

"And now I'm here," Riley said as he stepped out from the shadows and looked down at Angelus.

"Yes, he will be an excellent servant," Adam repeated.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Please read and review! It brings joy to me and makes me write out the chapters faster!**


	7. Not Alone

**AN: I'm back! This one is fairly long, but it's essential to the overall plot. I had to figure out a way to have Angelus help out the group in the future and needed a catalyst to do that. So here it is! Like always, any mistakes are mine and please point them out so I can correct them. A lot of dialogue was pulled from canon. The dialogue appears in:****"The Harvest," "Surprise," and "I will remember you." A bit of dialogue from "Primeval" was also used. The title of the chapter is actually from a new Linkin Park song called "Not Alone." They performed the song for charity during the tribute to Haiti. Enjoy!**

**This takes place during "Primeval."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Adam finished dismissing Spike and turned back toward the back of the cave. Riley was sitting on a chair, still in shock at seeing Forrest, Walsh, and Dr. Angleman in zombie form. There was one more table, but it was in a dark corner that Adam occasionally walked over to check on. Riley glanced up as he heard Adam walk back towards the corner.

Adam ignored Riley and leaned over the still form of Angelus. He had placed a few surgical tools next to the table, but held off from performing anything on the vampire. Even though he knew Angelus was unconscious, he would occasionally see the dark vampire's eyes flutter behind his eyelids. _What could he possibly be thinking about?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_He saw her enter the mausoleum and had to bite back a smile at seeing her stumped face. When she picked up the lock, he decided to appear. With a sigh, he made his presence known, but he had a feeling that she already knew who he was. _

"_I don't suppose you have a key on you?" She asked without turning around to face him._

"_They really don't like me dropping in," he said as if she knew who *they* were._

_She turned around to face him and he had to look away quickly before he ogled her like a teenage boy. "Why not?" She asked the handsome stranger who she only met recently. _

"_They really don't like me," he said while shrugging his shoulders._

"_How could that possibly be?" She asked sarcastically while crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her right hip out. _

"_I knew you'd figure this entryway sooner or later," he said but pause as he decided to use sarcasm right back at her. "Actually, I thought it was going to be a *little* sooner."_

"_Sorry you had to wait," she shot right back but managed to keep from rolling her eyes. She sighed and looked at the stranger for a bit while she gathered her thoughts. "Okay, look if you're gonna be popping up with the Cryptic Wise Man act on a regular basis, can you at least tell me your name?"_

_He thought for a minute on using his old name, but then he decided to use a name similar but still the same, "Angel."_

"_Angel," She said in a breathy tone of voice. "It's a pretty name." She turns back around and eyes the door blocking the way into the tunnels where her friend is at. _

"_Don't…. Go down there," he said to her in a worry tone of voice._

_She turns back around and eyes him evenly, "Deal with my going."_

"_You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the Harvest. Unless you can prevent it, the Master walks," Angel said while he took a small step towards her and leaned in a bit._

"_Well if this Harvest thing is such a suckfest, why don't *you* stop it?" She suddenly asked a bit peeved at him._

"'_Cause I'm afraid," he said while leaning back. _

_She looked at him for a moment before she turned around kicked the door wide open, breaking the lock in the process. She looked down the tunnel for a moment and then turned back to face him. _

"_They'll be expecting you," Angel said to her. _

"_I've got a friend down there. Or at least a potential friend. Do you know what it's like to have a friend?" She asked him still peeved. _

_Angel then surprised her by staying silent and looking away. She saw a flash of sadness in his eyes and regretted asking him. "That wasn't suppose be a stumper."_

_Angel looked back at her and they both gazed at each other for a moment. "When you hit the tunnels, head east towards the school. That's where you're likely to find them," he relented after seeing a stubborn tilt to her chin._

"_You're gonna wish me luck?" She asked a bit in humor and sarcasm. They both locked eyes for another moment, before she turned and disappeared into the tunnels. Angel walked over to the now open door and peered inside. He saw Buffy walked deeper into the tunnels and whispered into the darkness._

"_Good luck."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After cooling things down with her friends, Buffy set out on finding the suspect that caused the fighting, Angelus. She was determined to find him, but one major flaw she overlooked made the search a moot point; she didn't know where he was staying at. Buffy paused near a cemetery and she pondered for a minute. She knew Angelus wouldn't go hide in a crypt—he was too high class for that. She then pondered about the mansion, but she knew it was empty.

As she was in deep thought, something caught her attention, dragging her out of her thoughts; Spike. She had a feeling that the blonde vampire would know where Angelus was staying at. So she walked into the cemetery where Spike was most likely going to his crypt. "Spike!" she yelled out to him.

Spike jumped a bit and dropped his brown paper bag containing his pig's blood. "Oi, slayer! Don't bloody do that ya daft bint!" Spike groused out. He bent over and picked up his bag and started walking away when Buffy spoke up.

"Spike, I need your help. Where does Angelus stay?" She asked in a stern voice.

"Why the bloody hell should I tell you?" He said in a flippant tone and started walking away once again.

"Spike, just tell me where he stays at."

Spike paused for a minute and then turned around. "He stays in his old place, the one with the underground apartment." He then turned and walked into the night, leaving a slightly shocked Buffy behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_The night is set in as two figures walked hand-in-hand towards a ship, docked in the port. As they get close to the ship, both of them stop walking and the male gently lays a box on the ground. He turned to her and looked down at her sadness-filled eyes. _

"_I should go the rest of the way alone," he told her gently._

"_Okay," she replied back with a small voice._

"_But I will be back. I will," he said to try and reassure her._

"_When? Six months, a year? You don't know how long it's gonna take or if we'll even…" she said but trailed off as she couldn't finish her sentence. _

"_Hey," he said as he gently lifted her chin with his index finger. "If we'll even what?"_

_Her eyes glazed with unshed tears as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved with all her heart. "Well, if you hadn't noticed, someone pretty much always wants us dead."_

"_Don't say that," he replied back as he gently tapped her chin, "We'll be fine."_

"_We don't know that," she shoots back at him, once again trying to convince not to leave._

"_We can't know, Buffy. Nobody can, that's just the deal," Angel said. He paused and reached into his pocket, fishing out the object inside. "I have something for you. For your birthday. I—I was gonna give it to you earlier, but…" he trailed off as opened his palm to reveal a small silver ring with a unique design. It had a crown on top of a small heart that was being held by two hands._

"_It's beautiful," Buffy said softly in awe._

"_My people—before I was changed—they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart… Well you know. Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody," He paused as he lifted his hand to show his own ring with the heart pointing in, "Like this."_

_Buffy leaned over and kissed the ring gently, while taking the ring gently from his palm and then looked back up to Angel's gaze._

"_Put it on," he said as he took the ring from her slipped it on her left ring finger._

"_I don't wanna do this," she said in a small sob._

"_Me either," Angel said back to her._

"_So don't go," Buffy replied back, hoping that he would stay._

_He gently leaned over to her and kissed her lips gently. He could taste her salty tears, but it didn't deter him. She put her arms around his broad shoulders and pushed deeper into the kiss. She tried her best to convey her emotions and love for her vampire, hoping that he would get the message to not leave. After a few more kisses, they pulled away and Angel looked deep into Buffy's light green eyes. "Buffy, I…"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy stormed down the stairs of the familiar basement and reached the apartment she avoided all the time, especially since that fateful night two years ago. Once she reached the doors, she hesitated a bit, but then she drew up her anger at Angelus and kicked the door wide open, splinting the heavy oak door wide open. She stepped inside the small apartment, but was surprised to find it empty. Curiosity got the best of her and she walked around the small enclosure, taking in the noticeable changes. Gone were the red sheets from the bed and were replaced by black sheets. Some of the art that used to decorate the walls were gone also. One this still inside was the small was the small glass case that held various things from Angel's travels.

After a moment, Buffy huffed and stormed out of the apartment.

She walked straight back to Giles' apartment and settled down with the group to figure out a way to defeat Adam.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Adam walked across the room that he now occupied. He had Forrest and Angleman moved Angelus' still unconscious form. He didn't know what was wrong with the vampire, but he was intrigued. The vampire showed signs of trying to recover, but he continued to not move. Occasionally, Adam would hear the vampire slightly whimper, almost as if he was reliving some hidden memories.

Riley followed Adam and sat down in another chair to wait and see what was going to happen. He cringed at seeing the zombie forms of his former best friend, his mentor Dr. Walsh, and Dr. Angleman.

The alarms blared to life, cutting the silence in the room. "It has begun," Adam said. Walsh, Angleman, and Forrest blended into some shadows, leaving Riley in the middle, still sitting on the chair. A light illuminated his slightly shaking form, but he still stayed seated. He would look over to the table that had Angelus lying on. Adam walked over and placed a sheet over the body and then he turned towards some monitors that fed footage of the happenings in the Initiative labs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angelus stirred slightly, but then slipped back into another memory.

_He walked down the steps of the dark apartment and his eyes landed on Buffy. She turned around with her arms crossed across her torso. She looked up to him and saw the unmistakable look of sadness in his eyes._

"_I'm guessing that expression isn't because they were all out fresh O.J. at the deli," she quipped out to Angel. "What happened?" _

"_Nothing happened—I just…" he trailed off as he remembered the male Oracle's words._

"_Where have you been?" Buffy asked with fear tingeing her voice._

_Angel stayed silent for a moment before speaking with hesitation. "I went to see the Oracles. I asked them to turn me back."_

_Buffy's face fell at his words and look of disbelief took over. "What—why?"_

"_Because more than ever I know how much I love you," Angel stated as he tried to justify his actions._

"_No, no you didn't," she said as she backed away from him and walked towards another room._

_Angel followed her, knowing that those last few minutes were all they had. "And if I stayed mortal one of us would wind up dead, maybe both of us. You heard what Mohra said."_

_Buffy turned around to face him with a look of desperation clear etched into her beautiful features. "Mohra is dead! We killed him!"_

"_He said others would come," he said as he voiced the dead demon's words. _

"_They always come, and they always will! But that's my problem now, not yours, remember?" She exclaimed to him._

"_No, I won't just stand by and let you fight, maybe die alone."_

"_Then we fight together!" _

"_You saw what happened last night. If anything, I'm a liability to you. You take chances to protect me and that's just not bad for you, it's bad for the people we were meant to help," Angel reminded and said to her._

"_So what?" Buffy said in disbelief still. She threw her arms up as she continued her tirade. "You just took 24 hours to weigh the ups and downs of being a regular Joe and decided it was more fun being a superhero?"_

"_You know that's not it. How can we be together if the cost is your life or the lives of others?" He paused as Buffy stayed silent while looking at him. She placed her forehead on his chest and he gently wrapped his arms around her. "I know—I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure if I woke up with you one more morning."_

"_I understand," she said as she leaned back to look up to him. "So, what happens now?"_

"_The Oracles are giving us back the day, turning back time so I can kill Mohra before his blood makes me mortal," he explained gently to her._

"_When?" She asked as tear fell down her cheek. Angel gently wiped away the tear and looked over to the clock hanging on the wall. _

"_Another minute."_

"_A minute? No, it's not enough time," Buffy said crying out in sadness and pain. _

"_We don't have a choice," Angel said gently, "It's done._

"_How am I suppose to go on with my life knowing what we had?" Buffy said with tears falling down and clear in her voice. "What we could've had?"_

"_You won't, no one will know but me."_

"_Everything we did?"_

"_It never happened," he said while his tears were starting to build up in his eyes._

"_It did," she said while shaking her head, "It did. I know it did!" She stayed silent and placed her hand over his chest, feeling the strong heartbeat. "I felt your heart beat."_

"_Buffy…" he said as his own tears fell down his face. Passionately and desperately, their lips met. They kissed for a moment, then Buffy broke off the kiss and turned around to face the clock on the wall. _

_With only a few seconds left, Buffy turned around in Angel's embrace. "No! Oh god, it's not enough time!"_

"_Please," he said brokenly as he hugged her tightly to him, "Please."_

_Buffy then put her arms desperately around his shoulders and leaned up to his ear. "No, I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget." Angel shut his eyes tightly as Buffy repeated the phrase over and over till a flash appeared._

XXXXXXXXXXX

Angelus slowly started to regain consciousness as he heard a voice say "Is that it? It's that all you got?"

Riley noticed the sheets that covered Angelus stir slightly and he pulled the chip out that was controlling him. An explosion rocked the entire lab, sending a beam falling onto Riley's head, knocking him out.

Forrest, Walsh, and Angleman all look over to Riley's unconscious form and laugh. "See you're all alone slayer," Adam said as he approached the pinned slayer.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud and challenging growl come from the table with the covered body. Adam's internal computer distinguished it as the challenging growl of only one kind of being; a master vampire. A mighty, pissed off master vampire.

Angelus sat up with his challenging growl accompanying him and he ripped off the sheet covering him. "She's not alone," Angelus growled out with a feral smile and a bloodthirsty glint in his eye, "She's got me."

At that, Angelus leaped off the table and tackled all three zombie forms, releasing Buffy in the process. She didn't have time to look at the scene as she turned back to Adam, who has ran back towards his area of the Initiative.

Angelus jumped off of the three and growled loudly at the three zombies. He saw Angleman about to speak and leapt to him. He kicked the former doctor in the head and then kicked both Walsh and Forrest with a big and rare roundhouse kick. He turned back to Angleman and leaned down. With a mighty twist, he broke the neck of zombie-Angleman and turned back to the other two remaining zombies.

He smiled crazily at the two and pushed Forrest back and grabbed Walsh. "Put a chip in me bitch? You obviously don't know who you fucked with," he stated with a growl. He ripped off a small pipe that was on a metal table near him and he jammed the pipe into zombie-Walsh's head. He dropped the body and chuckled happily as Walsh convulsed a bit before dying. He turned around in time to get punched by Forrest.

"I'm going to enjoy this vampire," Forrest spat at Angelus.

Angelus chuckled and turned around to Forrest. "Not as much as I am."

Forrest threw another punch at the crazed vampire. Angelus caught the fist and broke Forrest's arm at the elbow and kicked him away. With the memories still fresh in his mind and an unknown force driving him, Angelus ran over to Forrest's form and picked him up by the neck. "You forget who I am. I'm Angelus, the Scourge of Europe." He smirked at the wide eyes of the zombie-Forrest and leaned into his face. "Now let's see if zombies aren't capable of fear." Angelus threw Forrest to a wall and walked over Riley's still unconscious form. Along the way, he picked up the beam over Riley and ran over to Forrest. He skewered the zombie and drove the beam into the wall behind him. Angelus walked over to Forrest and grimaced a bit at what he was about to do. He sunk his fangs into the throat of Forrest and ripped out the jugular, flesh, veins, and tendons. He growled at the foul taste in his mouth and grabbed Forrest's head. Summoning all his strength, Angelus ripped off the head of the zombie's body and growled loudly in victory.

He leaned downed a bit, but then remembered Buffy's fight and he jogged over to see if she was still alive. He burst into the room just as Adam fired a rocket. "Hell no, only I get kill Buff!" He yelled out and kicked Adam from behind, making the huge beast stumble. Before he could do anything, both Angelus and Adam looked at the rocket heading towards Buffy.

"Kur," Buffy said in a strange language. Angelus thought for a minute, but then walked away, knowing Buffy could take him. The rocket disappeared and three birds appeared and flew away. _That's my slayer, _Angelus thought happily. He scowled at the thought and looked away from the fight. _No not, my slayer. Hell no, no way and no how._

Assured of himself, he turned back in time to see Buffy drive her hand into Adam's back. She pulled out a reactor core of some kind and watched it float away. "But yours is right here," he heard her say. He didn't know what she meant and didn't have time to ponder it as he saw Buffy faint. He ran over and caught her before she landed.

"No way slayer, you're not dying here. Remember, you still owe me a fight Buffy," he said in good nature as he helped her back up slightly.

"Re…remember," she said groggily. Angelus groaned and slapped Buffy gently, but at the same time growling at the slight shock to the head from the chip. "Did I win?"

"Yeah Buff, you kicked the shit out of him. C'mon, let's get Captain Fish Boy and get out of here," He said as he started walking towards where Riley was starting to stir.

Buffy broke off from Angelus as her strength returned and she kneeled down to help Riley stand. He gasped at seeing the dark vampire standing and smirking at him. "C'mon soldier boy, you're missing the show." Angelus then disappeared into the hallway that Buffy appeared from.

He knew Riley and Buffy were behind him, so he kicked down the door and the bookcase that hid the door from view. The occupants in the room jumped and turned around and gasped at Angelus emerging from the doorway, followed by Buffy and Riley.

He ignored everyone and walked over to Spike. "So what's it look like out there," he asked his grand-childe.

"Bloody good time if ya want my personal opinion," Spike said cheekily.

Angelus smirked and looked out the lab, seeing the huge fight. "I bet I can get more kills than you can," he said and ran to join the fight.

Spike smirked at his seeing Angelus' bloodlust, causing his own to ramp up. He turned back to the still slightly shocked and recovering group. "Well, let's go save 'em, by gum! I know I don' want that crazy ponce taking all the fun." Spike then ran over to try and win the bet with his grand-sire.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Please read and review! Review even if you just want to state your favorite thing! Or to just say hi!**


	8. Soul Matters Pt 1

**AN: I'm back! *Avoids rocks and chairs* I'm sorry for my long hiatus! major case of writing block. Muse didn't want to work so I had to take a break. But Muse came through in the end and lo' and behold, a chapter! I'm not going to keep most of your time with my drabble but I will do I bit of explaining. I'm introducing some new characters for these next chapters and since we're getting into the season 5 part of BTVS in this re-write, I decided to change it up a little bit. So without further a due, here ya go!**

**This takes place two months after "Restless" and during "Buffy vs Dracula."**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The cavern was lit dimly by a lantern placed next to a chair. The chair was located in the middle of the small cavern and faced a stone statue. The silence was broken by a door opening and closing. The sounds of footsteps permeated the air and the person that entered the room stopped in front of the statue. He looked up at it with amusement painted clear on his face. He chuckled and pivoted on his heel and walked to the chair. He picked up the lantern and walked back over to the statue. He placed the lantern next to the statue and returned back to the chair.

He sat down on the chair and looked over to the statue. After a few minutes of silence he spoke. "Soul, what is a soul? Is it the conscious of a human? The thing that dictates right and wrong or is it just a moot thing?"

He stood up and walked over slowly to the statue. "Now, I can try and explain what a soul is, but there isn't enough time," he sighed dramatically and crossed his arms. "So I'll just indulge you a bit with a tale of one soul in particular."

He walked slowly around the statue while he gathered his thoughts. One he knew what to say, he walked in front of the statue. "You know the 'person' that currently has the soul very well. He did, after all, destroy your life. Yeah, Angelus was a person with flair. He did a lot of things perfectly."

He turned around and walked over to the chair and sat down once again. "But you see," he started again, "even he ends up going poof like a ghost! Over 100 years, nobody has heard anything about that damn vampire. Till around this time." He leaned back on the chair and crossed his hands behind his head.

"But we'll get to that in a minute; first I must indulge you in a little story. It's more of a 'what will happen' story than a past story. Once upon a time there was a vampire. One of the worst, if not the worst son of a bitch in the entire world. He gained his infamy from killing, maiming, torturing, and doing other crazy things for about 150 years," he explained before standing up again. He walked around the slowly while gesturing with his hands wildly.

"But of course, you know this! Everyone knows this, so why is it so important to repeat it? Because it's an integral part of the story!" He stopped and sighed deeply. "So continuing; this bad ass vampire then made a bad mistake and killed a pretty young thing. A brunette, not my thing but hey, to each it's own," he said while slowly walking up to the statue once more.

"So the family of this poor murdered girl vows vengeance and revenge and all sorts of diabolical things. And they receive it! By golly they do! They cursed this bad ass vampire with his soul! Pretty original since they could've just found him and staked him. But they're gypsies! What do they know about staking and fighting?"

He walked around the statue once again before continuing on with his story. "So the gypsies get their revenge and vengeance on the bad ass vampire," he said vehemently. "But they fucked themselves over!"

He laughed loudly at the thought of the gypsies' faces when they indeed realized their error. "Oh man, that must've been a huge discussion. The gypsies realized that when they cursed this vampire, they forget one important factor: that very same soul could be ripped away from the vampire, thus reverting him back to his old self again. They tasked a family to watch over the vampire for as long as he survived."

He walked back over to the chair and stood behind it. He placed his hands on the chair and leaned forward a bit. "That vampire though, didn't run alone. Nope, he had his sire and two of his childer with him all the time. So when they realized that the big dog was missing, they set out to find him. Eventually they found out what happened to him and they took their own vengeance. It wasn't original, I'll give you that, but it got the job done."

He sighed again and continued on. "Fast forwarding about 100 years and that very same vampire is still alive! Well, as much alive as a tormented hobo of a vampire can be. Rumor has it that the vamp went into hiding after draining a dead body or something, I don't know, but nevertheless he's alive. Some big higher up decides to use him and blah blah…"

He paused and walked back around the chair and sat down on it. "So now let's get to the 'what will happen' portion of this story. The vampire fell in love and everything is skewed on that portion. Rumor has it that he became bad ass again and got sent to hell by the woman he loved, which ironically is a slayer. Others say he turned gay, who knows," he said while shrugging.

"Point is, he's still around. Now here's the kicker; he is back to his old self again, but not all the way," he said while leaning forward. "He still has his soul buried deep inside him."

He leaned back and crossed his arms again. "No one knows why, but one of the theories floating around is from the gypsies themselves. They stated that the soul could be lost through magic or some crack headed thing called 'perfect happiness.' But any other way and the soul will retreat inside and the demon will come out and say hello. Anyway, before I get too off topic, even though the vampire is his bad ass self again, some big will happen. That damn vamp will fall in love with that damn slayer again," he said angrily.

"How do I know this? Well, I have a unique ability that lets me glimpse into the future. That and I read it in a prophecy, but you don't have to know that," he explained to the statue. "Eventually, both slayer and vamp will get busy between the sheets again and shit's gonna hit the fan."

The man got silent and then jumped up off his seat. "Enough of my story, now let's get you out of here." He walked in front of the statue and opened his arms. He started muttering words quietly, gradually becoming louder. The statue started to shake and crumble violently and eventually the entire thing crumbled into pieces. Among the pieces a naked man laid, slightly shivering. The other man took off his long trench coat and placed it on the naked man.

The naked man immediately came to and sprang up to face down the other man. "Sahjhan," he said quietly.

"Captain Daniel Holtz," Sahjhan said. "Pleasure to see you again."

"Tell me, where is Angelus?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Giles sighed as he placed a book back on one of the many bookcases in his apartment. It was early morning and Buffy was reporting her previous night's patrol. "So overall, your patrol last night was productive?"

"Yeah it was," Buffy yelled out from the kitchen. She came out with a cup of coffee that she sipped from. She walked over to the couch and placed the coffee cup on the table in front of the couch and then sat down. "Staked a few vampires, but I found a body. He seemed human at first because he had on a crisp business suit, but when I looked closer it was a demon. It looked more like a mugging," she explained while taking a sip of coffee from her cup.

"Vampires mugging demons now, have they lost all their sense of honor now," Giles said sarcastically.

"Demon guy might've owed them money," Buffy quipped out. "Oh before I forget, I found some kind of old looking scroll on the demon's body. Guess the vamps didn't see this." Buffy reached across the couch and grabbed her purse. She pulled out a beautifully decorated cylindrical tube and passed it over to Giles. Giles gently took hold of it and open the tube and pulled out sheets of old parchment paper. He rolled one upon and his eyes widen with surprise.

"Dear lord," he explained. He placed the paper down and whipped off his glasses. He furiously cleaned them and placed them back on.

"Did I hit pay dirt?" Buffy asked in amusement.

"Yes, yes you did," Giles said excitedly. "These scrolls are the Scrolls of Aberjian. It's an ancient and sacred text that was written over the last 4000 years in a dozen different languages, some of which aren't even human."

"Well, I'll leave you to your scroll translating thingy. I got to meet up Riley and the others at the beach," Buffy said while standing up.

"By the way," Giles started. "Did you run into our resident vampires?"

Buffy groaned as she recalled running into Spike and Angelus. "Yeah, I ran into Spike near the Bronze. He was walking to his crypt with a liquor bottle. Wasn't much for chit chat, he just kept muttering to himself about 'his poof of a sire.' And Angelus surprised me at one of the cemeteries, I forgot which one. I think Angel passed on his brooding sense to him because Angelus was quiet."

"Hmm, I wonder why," Giles said sarcastically.

"On that note…" Buffy started but Giles cut her off with a sharp gasp. "What is it?"

Giles stood up muttering to himself and walked quickly over to a bookshelf. He grabbed a book and walked back over quickly to the chair he was sitting on. He flipped the book open and found what he was looking for. He looked at the paper that was in front of him and then back up to the book.

"Giles, what's the what? You're keeping me in suspense here and I don't do suspense well," Buffy said, slightly startling Giles.

"Um… I-I know my ancient Sumerian isn't that rusty, but if this is correct, then we need to discuss this with everyone else," Giles said cryptically.

"Okay, what's that mean?"

"There is a passage that refers to someone."

"Who Giles? What does it say?" Buffy asked loudly.

Giles looked at Buffy dead in the eye before answering. "It refers to the Vampire with a Soul."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angelus walked into the basement of the mansion looking for a chest. He looked around, allowing his preternatural sight to help him see in the dark. His focus was disturbed when he sensed someone else in the basement.

The figure materialized from the shadows and smirked at Angelus. "Angelus."

"Dracula."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: Please Read and Review!**


	9. Soul Matters PT 2

**AN: Takes place during "Buffy vs Dracula"**

"Well, well, well... isn't this a surprise," Angelus quipped out as he leaned against a tall dresser. He smirked at Dracula, watching the famous vampire saunter down the flight of stairs. "I would say it is nice to see you again, but we both know that's bullshit."

"Yes, that is humorous to say. Especially since we departed on unfriendly terms during our last previous engagement," Dracula said in his thick European accent.

Angelus snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. "So, what brings you to this part of the world? Last I heard you were mooching from some success from the humans."

Dracula turned around and smirked at Angelus. "I've been keeping busy, catching up on events and so forth. As to why I'm here, simple. I'm searching for a particular creature; one that is rumored to be very powerful."

Angelus, feigning ignorance, decided to question Dracula to see how much information he could get out. "Particular creature? Wow, that sounds really lame. I would figure since you're standing near the hellmouth that you would try to raise the dead. Or try to become an even bigger fruit than you already are." Angelus stood back up and started walking towards the stairs, forgetting his original reason for his arrival.

Dracula glared at the retreating back of the dark vampire for a moment. "I care naught for the hellmouth. This prey I'm after is more than enough," Dracula said cryptically.

Angelus let out a bark of dark laughter before turning around. He looked Dracula dead in the eye and everything humorous left him. In that moment, Angelus resembled who he truly was. "I'm pretty sure that it will be. Just one thing; if you go after the slayer. I will see you again Dracy," Angelus responded back cryptically and dangerously. He dropped his hard stare and started up the stairs again.

Dracula shook off his momentary fright, hoping that his voice wouldn't quiver. "How's that soul of yours?" He asked without the quiver.

Angelus turned around at the top of the stairs and smirked, "What soul?" He then left the basement, leaving Dracula glaring once again.

"The slayer will be mine Angelus. Then we'll see who the dominate vampire king and queen will be," Dracula muttered to himself.

XXXXX

The trip to the beach was postponed due to Giles' discovery and the entire Scooby Gang assembled in the flat. Buffy sat on the sofa still in a bit of shock, while Xander, Willow, and Tara took up the rest of the sofa. Riley sat on a chair table that he moved next to the sofa and Anya looked around bored while sitting on Xander's lap. "So Giles, we've cancelled our plans for your big news, so tell us, what's the big news?" Asked Xander in a slightly sarcastic way.

"It seems Buffy has found a missing scroll. It rumored to be over 4000 years old and it explains of a huge apocalyptic battle," Giles explained.

"Well another prophecy, that's the big news? It's no biggie, Buffy managed to stop the last prophecies, this shouldn't be no problem," quipped out Xander.

"No, this one is different," Buffy said quietly.

Seeing the normally quirky slayer all rattled, Xander piped down and turned to look at Giles.

"From what I gathered, there is a major group that is only stated as the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart that will kick start this battle," Giles paused in his explanation. "Apparently this isn't Buffy's battle. The text continues on to speak of a warrior that will play a pivotal part in the battle." Giles looked at all the young adults in the room before he revealed the description. "The warrior is the Vampire with a Soul."

The collective group gasped in shock and stayed silent as they thought of the vampire in question. That silence was broken by a curious voice. "So it's about Angel? He's the only vampire that you guys spoke about that has a soul, or rather had a soul," Anya asked.

Giles sighed, but was grateful that Anya had enough tact to break the sudden tension. "Yes I supposed it does. But with what happened a few months back, who knows what role Angel will play. And…"

"Hey look, there's more to it!" Anya said while cutting Giles off, "It says something about a reward." Giles frowned and reached over to grab the parchment from Anya.

"Where does it say that?"

"Right here," Anya said pointing to the passage in question.

The rest of the group followed the interaction with rapid interest. Giles skimmed over the passage and frowned again. He picked up a few books and started skimming through them rapidly. Sensing the group's attention, Giles decided to let them free to go out. "Yes, this will take some time to decipher so why don't you all go to the beach."

The group nodded and gathered all their things. "I'll let you all know when I find something."

XXXXXX

_Later on at night_

Angelus stayed hidden among the shadows tracking Buffy's movements. His dark clothes helped him blend in well. He was still in slight awe at seeing her greatly improved skills. Gone was the young woman he met three years back and in front was a strong and powerful slayer. The most worthy opponent he's ever come across.

He stopped when Buffy encountered a vampire and started admiring her skills. He growled slightly and not being able to get into a full-fledged fight with Buffy once more. He had gotten used to living with the chip and took out his aggression on the plentiful demonic population that Sunnydale had to offer. Though, he hid the bodies of the demons or he just burned them.

He was driven out of his thoughts by the sound of a vampire meeting its end. Angelus looked over to see Buffy dusting herself off. He took in her proud walk and smirk as she walked between a few gravestones before she suddenly stopped and whirled around. Angelus jumped back behind the trees, hoping that Buffy didn't see or sense him. Just then, he heard the unmistakable sound of a person that should've paid attention.

"Very impressive hunt," he said. Angelus looked out from his hiding spot and growled silently at the figure standing in front of the slayer. "Such power," he says.

'Yeah, no shit Sherlock,' Angelus thought irritably.

"That was no hunt, just another day on the job," Buffy quipped out.

The man walked up to Buffy and Angelus quickly noticed the long flowing coat and got even more annoyed.

"That fruit basket," he said to himself.

"Care to step up for some overtime," Buffy challenged the man. Angelus smirked at hearing the sound of a challenge clear in her voice.

"We're not going to fight," he responded to Buffy. 'Pussy,' Angelus immediately thought to himself.

"Do you *know* what a slayer is?"

"Do you?"

Buffy frowned slightly and then looked at the man curiously. "Who are you?"

"I apologize, I assume you knew. I am Dracula," he said.

'Don't fall for it Buff, c'mon,' Angelus thought to himself as he saw the hero worship painted on Buffy's face. "Get out!"

"Damn," Angelus said to himself. "But you just fucked up Drac."

"So let me get this straight; you're Dracula," Buffy changed her voice to imitate the legendary vampire. "The guy, the count?"

"I am," Dracula said while revealing his fangs to Buffy.

"And you're sure this isn't a fan boy thing? Cause I've fought pimply overweight vampires that called themselves Lestat," she said still in awe. Angelus had to swallow his bark of laughter at her comment.

Dracula frowned at Buffy's flippant comment, but managed to keep cool. "You know who I am. As I would know without question that you're Buffy Summers."

"You've heard of me?"

"Naturally, you're known throughout the world," Dracula explained.

Buffy blushed and smiled happily at her newfound popularity. "Naw, really?"

"Why else would I come here, the sun? I came to meet the renowned… killer."

"I'll show you a real killer you man-lady looking asshole," Angelus muttered to himself.

"Yeah I prefer the term Slayer. Killer just sounds so…" Buffy trailed off as she searched for the right word to describe herself.

"Naked?"

"Too bad you'll never see her naked as I have," Angelus muttered to himself once again while smirking. He came out of his hiding place a bit more to see and hear the conversation.

"Like I… paint clowns or something. I'm the good guy, remember?"

"Perhaps, but your powers are rooted in darkness," Dracula explained. "You must feel it."

"No, you know how I feel? Bored," Buffy said before lunging at Dracula. Before she could make contact, Dracula dissolved into smoke and appeared behind her. She turned around and tried once more before he repeated his trick. Buffy frowned and looked around trying to find where Dracula went. "Okay, that's cheating."

At that moment, Willow and Xander walked up to find Buffy looking around. "Hey Buff, what's up?" Xander asked joyfully while sipping his coffee.

"You look like you just…" Willow started before Buffy cut her off. "Get out of here, now!"

"Great just what she needed, a distraction," Angelus said to himself as he frowned at Harris and Rosenberg.

"Fine, but I was gonna give you a sip of my double-mint mocha, but…"

"Behind you," Buffy said cutting of Xander as well.

Willow and Xander then turned around to see a materialized Dracula standing before them. "Nice, look who's got a bad case of dark prince envy," Xander quipped out.

"I have no interest in you," Dracula said while frowning. "Leave us."

"No we're not going to," Xander dropped his voice to down to copy Dracula, "Leave you." He returned his voice back to normal before speaking. "And where to you get that accent, Sesame Street?" He once again dropped his voice again, "Vun, two, three… three victims! Mwa ha ha!"

Angelus looked at Dracula's annoyed face and he had to viciously tamp down the urge to laugh. "Oh that Harris, he may be a dick but he sure has some good stuff," he said to himself.

"Xander, I'm pretty sure that's Dracula," Buffy whispered to Xander. Xander's bravado left him and he quickly hid behind Buffy, followed by Willow.

"This is not the time. I will see you soon," Dracula said to Buffy. He then spread out his billowing cape and took a step toward them before turning into a bat. All three of them screamed and ducked while trying to bat away the Dracula Bat. The bat flew down to Buffy, before flying away into the night.

Buffy, Xander, and Willow then recovered and looked around in amazement. "Was that real?" Asked Buffy to the other two.

"I'm pretty sure it was," responded Willow.

"Oh my god! We just met Dracula!" Yelled out Buffy in awe.

Angelus took this time to come out of his hiding spot and he approached the three. "So you guys just met good ol' Drac?" He said, managing to scare the three. "Oh yeah, still got it," Angelus said to himself in amusement.

Buffy groaned, but internally tamped down the mad lust she always felt when Angel or Angelus was around. "Yeah that was him. Why, are you jealous that there is an even better known vamp in town?" She asked in a cocky town.

"Oh yeah real jealous Buff, "Angelus said sarcastically. "At least my reaction wasn't like yours," he said before using a falsetto tone. "Oh wow really? You're the count himself, the prince of darkness, the one that dresses like a man lady?" He reverted back to his regular tone of voice. "Yeah, real professional there slayer, you all but managed to drool all over him."

"Shut up, now if you excuse me, I still have to fight actual vampires," Buffy said angrily.

"Oh, right in the kisser. Maybe you can go and find Spike and you both can verbally attack us," quipped out Xander.

Angelus growled and watched the three walk away. "Bitch."

XXXXXX

_Later that Night_

Angelus walked into his apartment growling in anger at Buffy and her friends and at Dracula. He was pissed that his warning to him went unheard. Angelus felt since he got chipped, his respect went down. Demons and Vampires weaker than him disrespected him. Angelus growled loudly as he grabbed a table and smashed it onto the floor. Just then, he smelled the unmistakable smell of smoke outside his door and he smirked.

"Just the punching bag I wanted," he said to himself.

Spike lifted his hand up to knock when the door swung open and Angelus dragged him inside. Spike fell to the ground off-balanced only to have Angelus kick him in the ribs a few times. He dragged Spike back up, only to have Spike push him off and punch him back. He struck Angelus two more time but Angelus duck down to sweep Spike off his feet.

Angelus descended on Spike, but the blonde vampire kicked him away and Angelus stumbled back to the wall near the door. Spike jumped back up and punched Angelus. Angelus grabbed Spike by his shirt and locked him into a headlock. Spike wildly swung around before he drove Angelus into the wall. Angelus stayed with his iron lock on Spike's head.

"Quit it ya once! I didn't come 'ere to have my noggin' rattle!" Spike angrily.

"Why are you here then Spiky?" Angelus asked why managing to keep Spike still in the head lock.

Spike growled and tried to push Angelus off of him, but the dark vampire kept the lock on. "Damn it, I'm 'ere to tell ya that good ol' poncy Dracula is back in town!"

Angelus pushed Spike away angrily and stalked over to his refrigerator. He violently opened the door and grabbed a huge cup of pig's blood and bit into the top. He swallowed the entire cup quickly and threw it harshly to the trash can near the refrigerator.

"I already know that man lady is here," Angelus said. He turned around and faced Spike. "He stopped by for a chat when I was at the mansion. I was looking for something, but that asshole distracted me."

"Oh well, then… I'll be on me merry way since your poofiness has his knickers in a twist," Spike said before walking out of the apartment.

XXXXX

_The Next Morning_

The sewer covering popped up and moved away slowly, revealing Angelus crawling out. Once out, he hid behind a tree, hoping the shade would be enough to hide him from the deadly rays of the sun. He looked directly towards Giles' apartment and waited for anyone to come out.

Before the sun rose, Angelus secretly stopped by Buffy's house to check on her only for him to notice a strange thing. He felt as if someone else was recently in Buffy's room. He noticed her erratic movements while she slept, almost as if she was in a nightmare.

So Angelus decided to check up on things during the day. He waited just for a few minutes as the door of Giles' apartment opened up to reveal Buffy coming out. Angelus quickly noticed the scarf around her neck and he frowned.

"Hey," he noticed Finn stop Buffy by the arm and gently turned her to face him. "Take off the scarf."

"What? NO," Buffy vehemently said.

"You're under the thrall of the dark prince," Riley said loudly.

"I am not under the thrall of the dark prince," Buffy scoffed.

"Then take off the scarf," Riley asked once again.

"Oh let go of me! This is ridiculous," Buffy said angrily while trying to break the strong grip that Riley had on her arm.

Angelus felt his anger rise dramatically at hearing that Buffy was under thrall, but he waited until the commando confirmed his suspicions.

Riley managed to take hold of the scarf and he ripped it away, revealing two holes on the side of Buffy's neck. Everyone looked on in surprise and Buffy sat down on the stone fountain in front of Giles' apartment. Before anyone spoke, they all heard the most ferocious vampiric growl they all have ever heard.

Angelus couldn't tamp down the growl that erupted and he caught the attention of the group. Buffy's eyes widen when she locked eyes with the dark demon. Angelus' eyes glowed bright gold and low growls emanated from him. She knew why he was so angry and it had to do with the disrespect of the bite that was on the other side of her neck.

Angelus reached down and with brute force, ripped open the covering of the sewer. He threw the large round top before he jumped down into the tunnels.

"He looked pissed," Anya said after Angelus left.

"Ah, he won't do anything to the master!" Xander suddenly said. The gang looked at him weird and Xander though quickly, "Bator."

XXXXXX

He took his time and waited. Angelus looked up at the night sky and waited for Buffy, Xander, Riley, and Giles to emerge from the castle. He had various weapons tucked away, hidden by his jacket. He went through the mental list of torture techniques and smirked evilly when he remember a few unique methods of torture.

Angelus swore revenge after finding out that Dracula had bit the slayer. If he wanted to dig more into it, Angelus would've realized that Dracula had bit his mate. But the dark vampire didn't want to think that. He was in the same mode that he was in when he helped out Buffy against Adam. He shook his head clear of his thoughts when the door swung open and Buffy, Riley, Xander, and Giles came out.

He waited until they were far away and Angelus used that cue. He walked inside the castle and let loose his senses. He picked up Dracula in the dining area and Angelus made his way there. He noticed that there was only one way to get out and that was through him. He noticed Dracula muttering to himself and Angelus used this to his advantage. He silently walked up to Dracula and then he grabbed him by the back of the neck. Angelus slammed Dracula down to the ground with a huge amount of force, stunning the gypsy vampire.

He then noticed Dracula starting to use the smoke trick and he quickly took off his duster and covered Dracula with it. He then punched Dracula repeatedly through the duster. He then ripped off the duster and drove a silver stake through Dracula's left hand. Dracula roared in and was then punched once again by Angelus.

He leaned down and locked eyes with Dracula and Angelus smirked at the fear coming Dracula in waves. "Now what did I say? I said to stay away from the slayer. But no, you had to go after her," Angelus explained. "But you tasted her as well; you bit something that belongs to me. I warned you." Angelus then brandished a huge knife from his back and he smirked evilly. "Now it's time to pay the piper."

XXXXX

_In a cavern_

"So Angelus has a soul? Still doesn't make a difference," Holtz said to Sahjhan. He looked around at the small number of fighters he recruited. He knew he was going to need all the help he could get to try and end Angelus.

"Oh it does make a difference. Always remember that," Sahjhan.

"Is he still with that bitch of a sire?"

"Nope, funny thing was that he staked her for the slayer," Sahjhan explained. He took in Holtz' slight surprise at that news.

"Well, this should be easy."

XXXXXXXX

AN: Read and Review please! No AN today, just the sweet chapter.


	10. Anger Issues Pt 1

**AN: Gasp! Another chapter! lol! First, I want to say thanks to all those that reviewed! If I haven't thanked you personally, I will soon. Next, this is a short chapter but its still important nonetheless. In case you are wondering, this is a series re-write so it will be a long story! Now, without further adue, the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of BTVS. It all belongs to Joss Whedon and company! But if I was a writer, then Buffy and Angel would never have broken up, well they would've but I would've gotten them back together!**

**This takes place in the beginning of "Real Me."**

**XXXXX**

"Piece… of… shit…" Was heard through the vast silence of the graveyard. The silence was constantly broken by the sounds of fist meeting flesh, bones breaking, and groaning. The vampire was thrown over a tombstone and its attacker followed.

"Angelus… please, have some mercy," the vampire weakly pleaded to the angry and incensed Angelus. "I didn't mean anything from that comment. I was just simply stating…" The vampire was cut off by a powerful kicked to the side of the head that left it dazed.

"You think I wanted this! Do you think that I, ANGELUS, wanted to be reduced to this," Angelus bellowed as he kicked the vampire again.

The fight began earlier when Angelus growled his way through the cemetery with a grocery bag in his arms. He muttered to himself about the embarrassment of drinking pig's blood and having to go buy it at the butcher shop. Along the way, he passed by a small group of vampires that were having a meeting of some sorts.

"And then I said to him 'I bet that I can beat that bastard with a hand tied behind my back!'" One vampire said. The group erupted into laughter till one of them spotted Angelus walking by them.

"Hey look, isn't that Angelus?" One vampire asked.

"Yeah it is," another vampire responded.

"What's he carrying in that bag? It smells familiar," the last vampire stated. The other three vampires sniffed the air and agreed with their companion.

"Let's go check it out," one said.

"I don't know, rumor has it that Angelus has gone off the deep end. Killing anything demonic, sort of like how he used to be when he was the slayer's lap dog."

"Really? Well, I haven't heard anything like that."

"It's all over Willy's. Other vamps are saying that he's killing everything. But still, let's go find out." The group nodded at the suggestion and trotted over to Angelus, who was still muttering to himself.

"Hey, Angelus right?" One vampire asked.

Angelus turned around and regarded the group with a cool look. "Who's asking?"

"Well, this is Mike, Jerry, and Andy," one vampire introduced. "And I'm Thomas. We saw you walking and well, we wanted to meet you." The vampire flashed a friendly smile, hoping that the rumors weren't true.

"Yeah, well I'm not interested. There's one thing I don't like, fans," Angelus responded with malice." He turned around to leave but one of the vampires caught sight of the contents in the bag.

"Hey is that blood?" Andy asked.

"So what if it is? Maybe I wanted to experiment with different flavors," Angelus stated harshly. He turned around to face the four vampires and smirked at the looks of slight fear in them.

"No, I was just asking," Andy said quickly.

"Maybe the other rumors are true then," Jerry commented out loud.

"What rumors?" Angelus immediately asked.

"You know, the rumors that you're like Spike now. A neutered vampire," Jerry stated calmly. At Angelus' sudden change in demeanor, Jerry erupted into laughter. "Oh man, they ARE true? No way man, you've been reduced to the slayer's lap dog! Again!" He joyfully cackled.

Angelus dropped the bag and his eyes started glowing brightly in anger.

"Um, Jerry… you might want to ex-nay on the dog-say," Mike suggested nervously to his buddy. Jerry just kept on laughing harder and Angelus snapped.

He immediately produced a stake from his coat and pounced on Mike. He plunged the stake in, enjoying the feel of the kill and turned quickly around to dispatch Andy and Thomas. All three vampires were quickly reduced to dust, leaving a frightened Jerry and a seriously pissed off Angelus.

"Oh hey, I'm sorry man. I was just, you know, joking around," Jerry lamely stated while backing up.

"Joking huh? You were joking about my plight? My sudden handicap? You were joking about that! How dare you disrespect me!" Angelus yelled out to the younger vampire.

"No, I was just saying what I've heard, that's all!" Jerry pleaded with the older vampire with fear clear in his voice.

"Fuck you!" Angelus yelled and kicked Jerry hard on the knees. Jerry yelped in pain as he dropped to his knees in front of Angelus. Angelus then kneed Jerry in the face, causing the young vampire to grab his broken nose. "I'm going to enjoy this," Angelus said cruelly. He smirked demonically and let his vamp face come into play.

He picked up Jerry and smashed his face into a nearby tombstone. Jerry groaned in pain but then yelled out loud when Angelus smashed his fingers with a stomp. Angelus then picked up the vampire and kicked him in the stomach. "You… piece… of… shit," he stated with vicious punches to the vampire's head.

Angelus then grabbed the vampire by the head and flung him over another tombstone. Jerry slowly turned over and he picked his hands up in a sign of peace. "Angelus, please have mercy. I didn't mean anything by that comment. I was just stating…" He was cut off by a powerful kick to the head.

"You think I wanted this! Do you think that me, ANGELUS, wanted to be reduced to this!" Angelus bellowed out to the younger vampire. He kicked the vampire in the stomach again, flipping him on his back. "Even though I'm out of the game temporarily, I still command respect goddamn it!" Angelus then produced another stake and smiled cruelly at Jerry. "I'm still Angelus you son of a bitch. Now," he said while slowly lowering down the stake. "This will hurt."

He slowly lowered the stake all the way down to Jerry's chest. Jerry begged Angelus to spare him but Angelus didn't listen. He enjoyed the sound of the begging and the feel of another life, albeit un-life in this matter, begin to fade away. He slowly started sinking the stake into the unbeating heart of Jerry, slowly torturing the vampire. Slowly, Jerry started to turn into dust, till there wasn't anything left except dust.

Angelus stood up and walked back over to his grocery bag. "Well, that felt good," he happily said to himself. He picked up the bag and started walking towards his apartment, whistling a jolly tune along.

From the shadows, a blonde head emerged and smiled at Angelus' destructive capabilities. "Interesting…"

XXXXX

**Cliffhanger! dum dum dum! lol Please Read and Review!**


	11. Anger Issues Pt 2

**AN: Another update! Thanks to all those that reviewed!**

**AN: This takes place during and after "Real Me"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS. Everything is owned by that dude, Joss Whedon.**

**XXXXX**

The lights were dim low in the living room. Papers stacked neatly on the coffee table, along with a ledger and documents. Giles wasn't kidding to the others when he mumbled about the magic shop's potential revenues. He had ideas that could help the group greatly. And it could keep them away from his personal space. He looked over the contract for the ownership of the shop and sighed when he saw how much he still had to read.

Just as he was going to flip the page, he noticed an out-of-place book on his coffee table. He frowned slightly and reached over and picked it up. He turned the book around and made an 'hmm' sound as he realized it was a watcher's diary that he barely found. He meant to put the book back but curiosity got the best of him. He set down the contract and opened the book up.

_July 1845 _

_Lyon, France_

_We tracked down the vampire and his sire to Lyon after the incident in York, England. We are still baffled at the cunning of his escape. Elizabeth remains vigil and focused at capturing Angelus…_

Giles gasped softly at the reading. He realized quickly that this was a rumor yet highly sought after diary that depicted several slayer hunts for Angelus. He only heard about the diary, but immediately ignored the rumors. The only vampire on record of killing slayers was Spike, but that was because Spike bolstered his victories. Angelus was never known to kill slayers, but there were also rumors that the dark vampire did actually kill slayers, more than Spike. But it was just rumors. With the discovery of the diary, Giles sat back and skimmed through the several passages of the hunt for Angelus in Lyon, till he came across the last passage.

_September 1845_

_Lyon, France_

_I write this with a heavy heart. Elizabeth fell to the hands of Angelus. I fear that I will surely meet the same fate soon. After a 3 month campaign to slay Angelus, he managed to catch her off guard. I fear that the rumors of Angelus being possibly the most dangerous vampire in recent time are true. Though he may be evil, I cannot but admire the way Angelus fought back._

_Everything we threw at him, Angelus always seemed two steps ahead of us. He has definitely earned that new and savage nickname, The Scourge of Europe. I will make this entry short, for I must now try and avenge my slayer's death. I pray that the next slayer and watcher will have the strength and will to defeat this vampire._

_Samuel Martin_

Giles sat the book down and he sighed deeply. _So the rumors were true. He has killed slayers, _he thought to himself. With a determine nod, he picked up the diary and skimmed through another watcher's entries.

_December 1850_

_Florence, Tuscany, France_

_We barely escaped with our lives tonight. Though we have lost men in the fight against Angelus, we remain optimistic. But it may be too late to restore the fight and drive into Magdalena. The poor chit took the brunt of the brutal fight against the vampire. Though the other fellow vampire hunters we came across were a blessing in disguise, they have lost a large number of men against Angelus and Darla's minions. _

Giles flipped the page and sighed sadly as the next passage was also the last passage.

_December 1850_

_Florence, Tuscany, France_

_I write this in the place of Watcher Jonathon O'Malley. The man and his charge fell at Angelus' hands. He ambushed them while they were busy training with the other hunters. A few of us and me survived the surprise attack, but the slayer fell. As I escaped, I managed to catch a glimpse of Angelus sinking his fangs into the neck of the slayer. I did not stick around for the rest, I just ran. _

_I came back a few hours later to find any survivors, but it was naught. Jonathon passed me the diary to chronicle the event before he died. _

_Richard Madison_

Giles flipped through a few more pages of the book till the writing cut off. He flipped back to the last page that contained writing and read the last passage.

_April 1871_

_London, England_

_This will be the last entry in this journal. Many have fallen in the hunt for Angelus. Though the information gathered from these pages will be invaluable, it is a fool's errand. The vampire seems to know where to attack and when to attack. He ploys psychological tactics; a disadvantage that we have. Currently, none of our watchers have training against tactics such as this. I have recommended to the council members to start teaching this new tactic, but I have not gotten any support. Maybe these tremendous defeats will spur the gits into action._

_Roger Travis_

_Emissary to Watcher Council_

Giles closed the book and pondered the monumental discovery of Angelus. He knew the vampire was an excellent fighter, but to have defeated 2 known slayers was even more shocking. But Giles knew that it wasn't two slayers. No, he knew that Angelus maybe defeated more. Besides the passages written by the two watchers, he spotted other passages by other watchers that have gone up against Angelus. He was determined to speak to Buffy after he read as much as he could.

He did notice something strange though. Usually, vampires would bolster their victories, but Angelus was never known to brag about defeating slayers. He bragged about everything else, but he wondered why he didn't brag about defeating them. Spike sure as hell did brag, but not Angelus. As he pondered this, he formulated a plan to find out the information, but he needed Buffy for that. _Speaking of Buffy, where is she anyway? _He suddenly thought to himself.

XXXXX

Hysterical laughter is heard loudly throughout the Summers' household. Buffy held her stomach as she tried to control the laughter. "Harmony," she began but ended up laughing again. "Harmony has minions?" She started laughing again, along with a snickering Riley at the thought of the airhead as a vampire.

Anya and Xander weren't laughing. They were waiting for Buffy and Riley to stop laughing so they could explain the situation. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction," said Xander.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Buffy said before she stopped laughing, though the amusement was clear on her face. "It's just… Harmony has minions," she stated before laughing once again.

"And Ruffles has ridges. Um, Buffy, there's actually a more serious side to all this," Xander began to explain.

"I sure hope so, because I'm having trouble breathing," Buffy said while giggling. She controlled her giggling and took a deep breath to calm down. "What is it?"

Xander looked at Anya nervously before he started to explain. "Well, she did come here to kill you…"

He was cut off by Buffy laughing once again. He also saw Riley holding back laughter as well. "Buffy come on," Riley began while giggling a little bit. "They have killed once that we know of. She could be a threat again," he said causing Buffy to laugh more.

"Especially since she can enter your house anytime she wants," Anya said calmly causing Buffy to immediately stop laughing.

"What?"

Xander and Anya looked at each other again nervously before Xander spoke. "Uh yeah, she… Harmony… kind of happened to get an invite."

"You guys can't invite her in. I mean, only someone who lives here can…" Buffy said before she cut herself off after she realized who invited the airheaded vampire inside. "Where is she?"

Outside the house, Angelus laughed with pure humor at the entire event. He had to nearly bite his own tongue off to not laugh at Harmony as a vampire. He remembered her vaguely from Angel's memories but he did recalled her airheaded nature. He came by Buffy's house hoping to score some money since he couldn't recall where he left his money. Angelus grumbled about going to Buffy's house to ask for money, but he needed to cash to get some supplies for his small apartment.

What he didn't expect was the laugh riot inside the house. He used his supernatural hearing to listen in and he had to fight laughter back. The fight was lost after he heard Anya's revelation and Buffy's reaction. "Man, I wish I could've seen the look on her face," he said to himself. "I bet it was priceless."

He turned to leave but jumped back at seeing the blonde that was the butt of all jokes, "Harmony."

"Do I know you? Hey! You're Angel! That guy that Cordelia said that was going out with Buffy?" The airhead vampire said happily. "Hey, I could kill you and then Buffy will be all sad! Then I'll be able to kill her!"

Angelus, quick-thinking vampire that he is, suddenly thought of a plan. "Hey now, you don't want to kill me," he said while flashing his trademarked smirk.

"I don't want to kill you, why?" Harmony asked.

"Because it'll be a waste of time, she's not with me anymore. Besides," Angelus pointed his thumb back to the house. "The good target is in there."

No sooner than he said that, Dawn came storming out of the house holding back tears. "Who her? The little sister?" Harmony asked again.

"Yes her, she's a prime target if I've ever seen one. You'll have Buff all whimpering and snot nosed. Then you can do whatever you want," Angelus explained calmly while choosing what to say carefully. Harmony turned around again to see Dawn sitting on the steps and then turned back to Angelus.

"I'll do…" she cut herself off seeing that Angelus suddenly disappeared. "… That. Hey, where'd you go?" She shrugged to herself and set off on her new plan.

Angelus looked on from the darkness of the trees around Buffy's house, hoping that the blonde would take Dawn and leave. He smirked happily at seeing Harmony's quick snatch and grab of the slayer's little sister. "Good job, too bad she won't follow through in killing Buff," Angelus said to himself but then grimaced at the small shock from the chip. "Stupid chip."

XXXXX

Later on that night, Angelus walked towards the direction of his apartment. He shadowed Buffy on her quest in getting her sister back. It was probably the most he laughed in a long while. Not only was Harmony pathetic at being evil, he also saw Spike getting the crap beaten out of him.

He did notice that something or something shadowed him throughout the night, but he just ignored it. But now he felt something else following him and the feeling got stronger and stronger till Angelus stopped and turned around to face his new adversary.

"What do you want?" He growled at seeing who it was.

"Jeez, hello to you too," Buffy quipped out. She noticed Angelus walking away after her fight with Harmony and she couldn't shake off the feeling that he had something to do with the events and that he was following her.

"Yeah well, I'm not in a talking mood. So if you just want to skip along back to your band of merry little friends and the blonde beefcake, I'll be on my way," Angelus stated and turned around to leave.

"Well too bad, I'm in a talking mood and you better be in a shut-up-and-listen-mood. Otherwise, I'll make you listen," she shot back with fire in her eyes.

Angelus stopped and smirked at hearing the fight in her voice and he shivered in anticipation. He turned around and smirked lavishly, causing Buffy to gulp at the smirk. "How are you going to make me listen? Gonna tie me up, handcuff me, or what? Inquiring minds want to know."

"Is beating you to a pulp a choice also? Because that's usually my favorite thing to do," she said while throwing her own smile. Her smile widen at seeing the small scowl on Angelus' face. "Oh what, the poor, poor, vampire is sad," she taunted while pretending to dab her eyes.

"Oh wow, says the girl that cries every time the shit hits the fan," Angelus taunted back. He smirked again at seeing the scowl on Buffy's face.

"Shut up, back to the matter at hand," Buffy quickly said. "Where were you earlier?"

"Why I was at my apartment catching up on my reading," Angelus innocently said.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Buffy asked in an unbelieving tone.

"Well maybe because you're blonde and things come a little slower to you?"

"Hey! My hair is not all blonde, there's some brown in it also," Buffy sharply said pointing to her hair.

"Yeah right, and I'm the nicest vampire around," Angelus taunted again. "Okay, why do you ask?"

"Because, an old—well acquaintance of mine payed me a visit tonight. Yeah, but the funny thing was she was more optimistic about seeing me again. Hell, she even went as far as taking my sister to her place," Buffy explained.

Angelus rolled his eyes and sighed. "And why do I care about this? I could give a rat's ass about who stopped by and said 'howdy doo' to you."

"Maybe because of the fact that this acquaintance is a vampire. And you seem to know every vampire, demon, and creepy crawly around. So, Angel, did you have a little talk with Harmony tonight?" She prodded again.

"Who?" Angelus asked innocently.

"Harmony, dumbest vampire in the world maybe? Blonde, has big boobs and a slightly high-pitched voice…" Buffy briefly described.

"Nope. Not ringing a bell here. Sorry Buff, I think you're going little nuts here," Angelus said with a smirk.

"Ha! That's rich coming from the king of psycho. By the way, how's the stalking business going anyway?"

"Funny, you didn't seem to mind it when my former half was stalking you."

"At least he wasn't trying to plot the death of me and my friends," Buffy said loudly

"No, he was trying to plot the best way to pop out and say hi without sounding like a jackass!" Angelus shot back louder.

Both Buffy and Angelus' loud voices attracted a certain platinum blonde vampire walking to his crypt with a bottle of whiskey and blood. He stopped and frowned at hearing the increasingly loud conversation. Spike snuck up to a tree near the two and he smirked at the two arguing. "Well, well, well those look like they're five seconds away from shagging each other's brains out," he said to himself.

"… wanna-be vampire…"

"… cry baby of a slayer…"

"… neutered member of the undead…"

"… insecure little girl…"

"… overcompensating idiot…"

"I didn't hear you complain about that! It was more like 'oh god! More please more!' wasn't it!" Angelus threw his hands out and yelled out loud.

Buffy gasped but fired back immediately. "You wish I was moaning like that for you asshole!"

"I could make you moan like that any day of the week!" Angelus fired back. He didn't realize that both Buffy and he were so practically in each other's faces. Her eyes were glazed over with anger and fire and she was panting harshly. Buffy looked into Angelus' brown/gold eyes which burned with anger. He was also panting with unneeded breath.

At that moment the sounds of Spike's laughter floated through the air. Both vampire and slayer turned in the direction of Spike and saw the vampire coming out from behind a tree, holding his sides while roaring with laughter.

"Oh please, continue wit' this. This is way better than an episode of Passions. And the best part that it's live!" Spike said while roaring with laughter. He noticed the closeness of Angelus and Buffy and he cackled joyfully. "This is gold! By golly bless me un-beating heart, this is golden! It's quite obvious that you two either 'ave ta beat the ever living daylights out of each other. But seeing as me sire there can't go a round, even with a sissy, maybe you both should just, I don't know, shag each other's brains out! But of course, I think fish boy will have an issue with that."

"Ew! I'll never do that! Not with him!" Buffy gasped out loud.

"Hell no," Angelus said while shivering. "I'm not Soul-boy, I won't stoop that low," he said growling.

"Oh now c'mon, it's quite obvious that it's going to happen!" Spike said joyfully.

"I'm out of here," Angelus said. "You, go fuck yourself," he said to Spike. "And you, just fuck you," he said to Buffy. Angelus then turned around and stormed off with his long black coat billowing behind him.

"Yeah, right back at 'cha!" Buffy yelled out while glaring behind at his retreating back. She saw Spike smirking and she growled. "Go stake yourself," she growled out and stormed off the opposite direction.

"Man… the fun's over," Spike said while pouting. He gathered his things and looked around. "Oh well." He then walked towards his crypt.

Off in the shadows, the same blonde stood watching everything and smiled. "Very interesting."

On the other side, standing next to a mausoleum was Daniel Holtz. He watched everything with an avid eye and began to formulate a plan in his head.

**XXXXX**

**Read and Review please! It's a good thing!**


	12. How do you like me now Pt 1

**AN: Yes another quick update! BTW, all these are un-beta'd and I'm in a desperate search for a beta. If you're interested let me know by sending me a message. This one is fairly long since its going to take place over two episodes, so enjoy! Thanks to everyone who read and reveiwed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS.**

**This takes place during "The Replacement" and the beginning of "Out of My Mind."**

**XXXXX**

"Damn it! Where is it?" Angelus growled in annoyance.

He arrived at the mansion an hour before, searching for a small chest that contained some money that he had hidden away. "That queer of a vampire Dracula must've taken it," he said to himself. "Should've tortured him some more."

He walked out of the basement and went over to the master bedroom. The mattress was over turned, books scattered the floor, drawers were thrown out of their places inside dressers, and some curtains were on the floor. Angelus sighed heavily when his search came up fruitless. "Damn it…"

He walked back out of the bedroom and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, guess I have to make money another way. I wonder if old man Giles has some cash," he thought out loud to himself.

He made his way out of the mansion and started walking down the street when a large figure passed his field of vision. Angelus frowned and silently caught up to the figure. He managed to catch a glimpse of the figure's face and Angelus smirked. "Bingo, those white hats are gonna have a field day with grey and ugly here."

He followed the demon through a series of alleys till it finally opened a manhole cover and dove inside. Angelus followed the demon inside silently and till he saw the demon go inside a large lair. He crept up to the opening and spied the demon setting up a huge cauldron. He saw several liquids go inside till the liquid turned into a yellow color and bubbled with the heat of the fire. Angelus then noticed the demon took hold of a small rod and heard a mumble some from the demon. _"… The death of the slayer." _And then the demon sunk his hand into the liquid and yelled out in pain.

Angelus smirked and walked away from the scene. His eyes glittered with the newfound knowledge and the anticipation of money. "Those bastards better pay up."

XXXXX

_The next day_

Inside the magic shop, Giles was going through the inventory of one of the many boxes that were scattered throughout the shop. He made a happy sound that everything was in order; he turned around to check on another box when a whistle stopped him.

"Wow, this is nice. Giles, you're really moving up in the world. New BMW, new shop… it's almost like if it's a whole new you," Angelus quipped out.

"Oh it's just you. Here I thought it was someone dangerous," Giles said dryly.

"Hey, don't poke fun. I can still be the big bad wolf. In fact, I still remember the screaming you did a few years back," Angelus shivered with glee, "it was magnificent."

Giles scowled at the vampire that savagely tortured him, but chose not to let his words get to him. "To what do I own this unpleasant visit?"

Angelus shrugged and looked around the shop again. "I have information. I thought I would share it with you guys."

"Yes well pardon my sudden excitement over you wanting to provide information," Giles sarcastically said as he picked up a box. He turned around and was face-to-face with the demon that Angelus spotted the previous night. "Oh."

"See, that's my information," Angelus happily said.

"The slayer is not here," The demon said in a deep voice.

"Gee, I could've answered that for ya there skippy," Angelus muttered sarcastically.

Giles dug his hand into the box he was holding, searching for a weapon. He grabbed the first item and picked it up, only to frown at it. "Rabbit's foot, no, wait…" He tossed the foot and quickly went searching again. The demon growled and slapped the box of Giles' hands. Giles let out a gasp and held up a wooden statue that was about a foot and half tall.

"That is a fertility god," said the demon causing Giles to frown at the statue in his hand. "Feeble man, you will not distract me…" He was cut off by Giles whacking him over the head with the statue. The demon stumbles back and Angelus erupted in laughter. Giles whacked the demon a few more times, till the demon had had enough and pushed Giles onto a few empty boxes. The demon pointed a stick at Giles that Angelus recognized from the previous night. "You are not the slayer. You do not concern me."

"No but I do. And considering that I need some cash, I'm guessing this won't go well for you," Angelus said from behind the demon. The demon turned around and recognition flashed in his red eyes.

"Angelus…" The demon began but was cut of violently and suddenly by a powerful punch to the face.

"Damn, does everyone know me?" Angelus asked annoyed. He kicked the demon in the stomach and then kneed it in the face. "I mean seriously, can't a guy just be not known! It'll be a good refresher." He was about to attack the demon again when it retaliated by throwing the same statue that Giles held at Angelus. He hit Angelus square on the forehead, stunning the vampire. He then got up and ran out of the shop, leaving Angelus grabbing his head. "Ow, that son of a bitch. That hurt," Angelus said.

Giles got up and walked over to Angelus. "Do you know that you awfully speak too much during a fight?"

"I'm kind of getting that Rupert," the vampire responded meekly.

XXXXX

"And then like this… and this… and this," Giles explained to Buffy, Riley, Willow and Xander of how he smacked the demon on the head with the statue. "Then Angel over there jumped in a fought with it for a little bit till he himself was hit by the statue."

The girls were all sitting on the floor with opened books in their laps and the guys stood around with opened books in their hands. All except Angelus that is. Angelus was leaning against a wall and looked more like a pouting boy than a killer vampire. A red angry mark was left on his forehead from the statue throwing demon.

"And how did that happen?" Buffy asked in amusement plain in her voice.

"Oh he handed it to me and I bashed myself on the head with it," Angelus growled out. "He threw it at Buff." He glowered and crossed arms across his chest. "Jeez for a slayer, you sure a slow on the uptake," he muttered to himself.

"I heard that," Buffy responded.

"That things pretty heavy," Riley said while pointing to the statue in question.

"That's Oodfar, goddess of Childbirth. She's got some nice heft to her," Willow explained.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Angelus commented.

"How badly did you hurt him?" Buffy asked Giles but ignored Angelus.

"Well, hurt, uh… maybe not—hurt," Giles stuttered to explain.

"Yeah Rupes! Explain to the young ones how you badly you shock him into submission," Angelus sarcastically commented.

"Well, I-I'm sure he was startled," Willow said while ignoring Angelus comments.

"Uh yes, yes I'd imagine it gave him, uh, rather a turn," Giles lamely explained.

"So he ran away?" Buffy said while grinning.

"Jeez, it's like I don't even exist. Maybe if a steal one of these boxes they'll notice me," Angelus angrily muttered to himself.

"Do that and you'll get a lot of attention. Most of it will be unwanted," Buffy said to the muttering vampire.

_Bitch, _he thought to himself while glaring at Buffy.

"Um sort of," Giles explained once the Buffy/Angelus comment settled down. "He, uh, turned around and swept away majestically, I suppose. He said I didn't concern him."

"So a mythic triumph over a completely indifferent foe?" Buffy said cheekily.

"Well I'm not dead or unconscious, so I say bravo for me," Giles said feeling mildly insulted.

Angelus drowned out the sounds of the other as he tried to remember the demon. He knew it seemed familiar, as if he saw it before in a different location. _Hell knows that thing smelled bad also, _he disgustedly recalled. Suddenly the light clicked on and he remembered. "I know what it is, or rather who it is. I'm surprised they're still around. His name is…" He was cut off by Giles answered that very question.

"Toth."

"What?" Angelus heard Riley ask.

_Asshole stole my thunder, _Angelus thought to himself.

"He called you a Toth. It's a pettish expression. It means, like, moron," Buffy tried to explain but ended up frowning at her own explanation.

Angelus drowned out the other's group discussion again as he recalled when he ran into Toth. It was 1825 in Prussia. He remembered that he and Darla were strolling the streets of a small little town when Toth brushed past them. Darla took offense and confronted the foul-smelling demon. Toth just snorted and pushed Darla out of its way and walked away. Angelus remembered how angry his sire got and he shivered with the memories of how she let out her frustrations. "Ah, good times," he muttered to himself.

"… And how hard I can kill him?" He heard Riley ask to Giles.

"Well…" Giles began but Angelus cut him off.

"Oh for shit's sake, Fish boy, you probably would get your ass handed to ya if you tried to kill him. Good ol' Buff here would just jump in and cream him," seeing Riley's crestfallen expression, Angelus smirked. "Next, the thing stank so bad that shit would probably smell better. So think white hats, where would something that smells like shit go to?"

XXXX

"The city dump. Where smells go to relax and be themselves," Buffy quipped out. She, Riley, Willow, Xander, Giles, and a reluctant Angelus were all walking through the large dump. Angelus was forced to go and help if he expected any kind of payment.

"I better be paid after this. I had better things to do tonight," Angelus grumbled beside Buffy.

"Really? Do tell," she inquired with curiosity.

"It's none of your business. Besides, I smell something annoying here," he said curtly.

"Well look around! It's a dump, everything smells annoying," Buffy exclaimed.

"Spike," Angelus suddenly growled. "Only his smell is annoying!"

"EW, that smelling thing is bad, and I'm not taking about the dump either," Buffy said while scrunching her nose.

"So Spiky, what'cha doing?" Angelus asked, startling the blonde vampire.

"What's it look like I'm doing ya ponce?" Spike stated angrily.

"Seems like you're lowering yourself to an all-time low," Angelus said.

"At least I'm not tagging along with the white hats."

"Hey, at least I'm getting paid. You're just…" Angelus was cut off by Buffy's sharp voice.

"Enough! God what is with you two? Spike listen up," she looked at Spike pointedly until he turned and looked at her. "We're hoping you could help us quickly."

"Yes, um… we're looking for a demon… um tall, robed, skin sort of hanging off, deep voice," Giles described.

"You mean a great tell robe-y thing like that one?" Spike question and pointed behind the group.

They all turned around and see Toth standing with his stick raised at them. A beam shot out of the stick, but the group jumped out of the way. Spike smiled with glee and Angelus rolled of the fray and stood next to Spike.

"Big guy! Kick her ass!" Spike yelled out to Toth.

Angelus just scoffed and looked Toth firing another bolt towards Buffy and Xander. They both managed to jump out of the way, but the bolt struck the lamp Spike was holding, causing it to shatter to pieces. "Oh very nice!" He said while tossing the remaining pieces aside. "I was on your side!"

"Yeah, watch where ya shooting! Ya nearly made Willy piss himself," Angelus sarcastically said out loud.

"Oh sod off ya ponce," Spike shot back.

Angelus turned around to see the fight just in time to see Toth fire another bolt which hit Xander, flinging him a few feet back. "Oh ho ho! Right in the kisser!" He yelled out loud in joy.

Angelus saw the others helping Xander up and he turned to Spike. "I better go get my money before they conveniently forget," Angelus said.

"Let me know how that goes. They'll usually hold that cash over your head and make you stick with them till the job is over," Spike explained.

"Try that with me and I'll leave them in the dust. I'll find money in another way," Angelus growled out.

Once he saw Giles and Riley help Xander up, he headed off with the group. "Take it slow," he heard Giles say.

"So… when do I get my cash?"

XXXXX

Angelus sat on his bed grumbling to himself. "Can't believe the sorry bastards didn't give me my money. I did what they asked, not once did they say 'Oh by the way, kill the big bad beastie' no they didn't," he complained to himself while kicking off his shoes and taking off his socks.

He stood up and shed off his shirt. He then walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. He grabbed a towel and headed towards to the bathroom to wash away the smell of the dump and the anger he was feeling. He left the door open and walked over to the faucets and turned the knob for the hot water. The water quickly started to heat up and he pulled his pants and boxers off. He got into the hot stream and hissed a little bit at the heat of the water. Once he got used to it, he settled in for a long shower, hoping to be calmer once he got out.

XXXXX

Buffy knocked on the familiar door but didn't get a response or a comment. She tested the knob and the door opened slightly. She took a deep breath and walked inside the small apartment. A wave of memories hit her the moment she walked inside and she gasped softly.

_Angel and her sitting together while she complained about school._

_Heated make-out sessions that would rival any sexual experience she's had since Angel. _

_Angel drawing her or helping her out with her homework. _

_Her nursing him back to health after the incident involving Drusilla._

She gasped and whirled around and came face to face with the bed. The same bed that she found true love on. The same bed where Angel showed her pleasures that she never knew. She felt the blush creep into her face. She turned around quickly to leave but this time she came face to face with a wet and nearly naked Angelus.

Angelus felt the tingling sensation in his belly the moment Buffy entered the apartment. He thought that she had guts for finally showing up to his old place since that night several years ago. He turned the shower off and he step out. He patted himself dry and wrapped the towel around his hips. The sweatpants he brought laid forgotten on the floor of the bathroom. He stepped out of the bathroom and stood behind Buffy. He watched her remember the night of her 17th birthday and he saw the faint blush start to settle on her face.

He took a moment to admire the curvy figure of the slayer. Gone were the short skirts of those days, but he didn't complain about the tight jeans she had on. He also admired a tight white shirt that showed of her curves very well. He smiled wolfishly as an idea crept into his head, but then he immediately frowned at the idea. He was shocked out of his frown by Buffy suddenly turning around and coming face to face with him.

Her eyes went wide with the sight of her ex lover shirtless and fresh out of the shower. Her eyes strayed a little lower and shot back up to his face after seeing that only a towel covered him. She saw the half smirk of pure enjoyment settle on his face and she scowled at him.

"What are you doing here Buff?" Angelus asked with his smirk still in place.

"Oh, I'm, uh, well you see… I'm here to… gah, can you put some clothes on!" Buffy stuttered to her nearly naked ex.

Angelus laughed and shook his head. "This is my place, if I want to be naked then so be it."

"Well, I'm a guest and you, as a guest-welcome-person-thing, should have clothes on," Buffy rambled as she struggled to keep her eyes of Angelus' chest.

"I distinctly recall not inviting anyone, especially you, over tonight. I've had a bad night and I plan to sleep it off. Now unless you either came here with my money," Angelus smiled fully as he said his next words. "Or you came here to moan for me, I suggest you leave." His eyes twinkled with pure humor at seeing Buffy's eye widen and the blush fully settled on her face.

"No, no, no, there won't be any moaning of any kind. No way no how," she firmly said.

Angelus took the opportunity to see how far he could make her blush. "Now I know you're curious about me." He approached her slowly and he smirked after he heard her heart flutter faster. "I know that you sometimes think about that night and all the other nights that I brought you pleasure that you have never known," he whispered to her. He circled her slowly and placed his hands on her arms. Buffy gasped at the contact, but didn't move away.

"I know that none of the other lovers that you have or had have brought you to that feeling and sensation. A sensation of almost free falling," he whispered into her ear while slowly and sensually rubbing his hand up and down her arms. Buffy held back a small whimper after she felt his lips graze the sensitive outer shell of her ear and the small grind of his hips against her bottom.

"I know you remember Buff," he said while daring himself to graze her ear even more. His hands went down to her hips and he grinded a bit more of himself against her. He didn't feel her pull away and smiled at the way Buffy still responded to his body. "You can't lie to me Buff, every time you see me, you think about those nights."

She felt his hands push her hair away from her neck to reveal the mark that Angel left on her. Buffy never told anyone but she also was drawn to Angelus when he terrorized Sunnydale three years ago. She always wondered how he was, not Angel, but the demon Angelus when he wasn't in the mood to kill. Buffy heard countless stories of his sexual conquests and she had read stories of his skills as a lover. Now she was here, trying her best to not respond to demon wearing the body of her ex lover.

"I know you also think about this," Angelus said, breaking through her thoughts. His lips gently kissed her scar and Buffy let out a breathy moan that made Angelus smirk. He kissed the scar with a little more force and he grinded against her a bit more. Buffy whimpered at the sensations that Angelus created within her, but she found the small amount of will she had left before she fully succumbed to possibly temptation incarnate.

"NO! No, I'm—not—not here f-for that," Buffy forcefully said. She pulled away quickly from Angelus and ran to the door. She was breathing harshly and she tried to stop the tingling sensations coursing through her body. Angelus didn't help at as he drew attention to his excitement causing Buffy to look down. She nearly squeaked at seeing his reaction to her and she turned quickly around. "Um… here this is yours," Buffy stuttered and reached into her back pocket. She pulled out a wad of bills and threw it behind her. She then quickly stepped out of the apartment and closed the door swiftly behind her. She leaned on the door, trying to fight the urge of going inside and letting Angelus take her back to those nights at the mansion.

Angelus was inside beating himself over the head in trying to figure out why he did what he did. _What the fuck was that! _He though harshly to himself. He walked over and picked up the cash thrown on the floor and he noticed his towel had come loose and fell to the ground. He look down and gasped at his reaction to Buffy. He knew he was excited, but to be at a full on hard-on was a different thing.

"Bitch is making me crazy," he muttered to himself.

XXXXX

_The next day_

Giles was once again found at the magic shop. He had several cases built and placed around the shop. Trunks of books littered the second level and boxes of were stack all around the walls, leaving the floor clear to walk around.

He was deep in thought from the events of the a few hours before. He smiled when he remembered Anya's reaction that the double Xanders had to become one and the way the two Xanders spoke to each other. He was glad that Buffy and Riley had taken care of Toth. He couldn't help but noticed the distracted and faraway look in Buffy's eyes and he wondered what she was thinking about. His thoughts were shaken away when the bell above the door rattled violently and the door was broken in to reveal Angelus hidden behind a blanket. The former Scourge of Europe was smoldering and muttering insanities to himself.

"You, you… have to help me," Angelus said when he spotted Giles.

"Um what seems to be the problem," asked the watcher as he approached Angelus.

"He's here, he's coming for me. I-it can't be t-true. He-he's dead," Angelus muttered to himself and Giles.

"Who's coming? Who's here?" Giles asked worriedly at seeing the frightened reaction of Angelus.

Angelus looked up and locked eyes with Giles and uttered one word, "Holtz."

**XXXXX**

**The title of the next two chapters came from the song "How do you like me now" by The Heavy. Check it out!**

**Read and Review please!**


	13. How do you like me now Pt 2

**AN: I'm back again! Now I was going to make this chapter longer and finish off this two part, but I decided to extend it a little more. Any mistakes are mine! Thanks to all those that reviewed! Oh BTW this chapter contains material from the Angel episodes "The Trial," "Origin," and "Offspring."**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS.**

**This takes place during "Out of my Mind"**

"So start at the beginning," Giles said to Angelus, who was sitting down on a chair close to the counter. Angelus looked up to the ceiling and had a faraway look in his eyes. Almost as if he was enjoying remembering his dealings with the vampire hunter Daniel Holtz.

"From what beginning are you talking about? From when I first met him or to what had me running like a scared chippie?" Angelus asked sarcastically.

"From the first time you encountered this Holtz chap," Giles clarified.

"Ah yes, well the first time I heard of him was in 1764. I was still a fairly young vampire, but I already had respect and a reputation throughout Europe. Ah, it was a simpler time during those days. The known world was constantly at war, people didn't pay any mind to crime around them, and pickings were ripe. Darla and I stayed in expensive hotels. We would ask for food to be brought up and we would eat the waiters," Angelus paused for a smirk at the memories. "Eventually word got around. We would only run into Holtz due to chance. We would always give him the turn around, till he managed to catch up with us in France."

"Well, what happened in France?" Giles prodded when Angelus paused.

"Patience Rupert. It was Arles, France 1765…"

**XXXXX Flashback 1765 XXXXX**

A horse carrying two riders rode into a dilapidated barn. They disembarked the horse and walked over to the barn door and closed it. One of the riders peaked out of the cracks running along the door.

"This is outrages! Don't these people know who we are?" Angelus angrily asked.

"I think they do, which explains the lynch mob. Look, we should all rest. It'll be dawn in a few hours and she won't last another mile, not carrying us both," Darla explained to the angry vampire.

Angelus nodded and walked away from the door. "Right, I hate the French. We should go some place like Romania."

"In Italy you said we should go to some place like France," the blond vampire said to Angelus.

"At least in Romania they know how to treat a creature of the night," Angelus commented.

Darla rolled her eyes to Angelus' comments. "You were craving rich food, that's what you said, something… French." She walked over to lantern and lit the small fire to provide light. Angelus took the opportunity and looked out to the dark night and the valley near the barn.

"The valley looks quiet," he said.

"I told you, we lost them back in Arles. I'm sure of it," Darla said to try and reassure the dark vampire.

"This man, Holtz," Angelus said while he turned to face Darla. "How does he keep on finding us?"

"Well, we stay in the best hotels, order room service, eat the waiters—people talk," said Darla.

"Yeah, well Holtz is no mere mortal, I'll tell you that," Angelus stated with certainty.

"Of course he is. He's just a man, a vampire hunter," she said while looking around the barn.

"Yeah, good enough to have driven us into a stinking barn like animals!" He stated angrily.

Darla flashed a sultry smile to her companion. "All right then, let's _be _animals. At least for tonight." She laid down on a pile of hay, enticing Angelus to her. "Unless you're too tired."

"Shouldn't we be keeping watch?" He asked with uncertainty.

"I can see the window and we'll hear hoof beats should anyone approach," Darla explained while still trying to entice him.

"You always make the best of it, don't you?" Angelus said while smirking. He walked over to Darla and dropped to his knees beside her.

"Come now you have to admit that the chase can be exhilarating," she gasped as Angelus nibbled up her neck. "Especially with the proper companion."

He leaned down and kissed Darla with carnal pleasure. He was about to lie down on top of her when a flaming arrow whizzed by his head. His head popped up and he growled angrily. "Bastards!"

Angelus jumped off Darla and stood in the middle of the barn. Darla stood up and wiped away stray sticks of hay. She looked at the tense shoulders of Angelus and sighed, knowing he was preparing for a fight. All around them, town folk and peasants surrounded the barn and were armed with torches, pitchforks, axes, swords, and crossbows.

"How many men do you suppose he has with him?" Angelus asked.

"I can't die, not like this," Darla whimpered, ignoring Angelus' question.

Sensing the fright in Darla, Angelus opted to run. "Well, we can try to flee to the hills to the south."

"We'll never make it before sunrise, not by foot," Darla stated in panic.

"We'll not make it easy for 'em, I can tell you that," Angelus said while tensing for a major fight. "They're men—mortals. Between the two of us we can go out with a reputation." He looked through a crack in a wall of the barn and noticed the growing mob. "Even death with the right companion…" Angelus started while he turned around to face Darla only to be met with a hit across the face with a wooden beam that knocked him down. He looked around dazed and his eyes landed on Darla mounting the horse.

"I hope you survive this Angelus. If you do, maybe we meet again in Vienna," She said. She turned the horse to the barn door and had the horse kick open the door. The horse then took off for the hills while Angelus stared angrily to Darla's retreating back.

"Women."

**XXXXX End Flashback XXXXX**

"That was the first time that I realized that Holtz was a legitimate threat," Angelus explained while walking around the shop. He picked up a hammer then sat it back down. He turned around and his coat flared behind him. "I, of course, got away and caught up with Darla. I made her pay, over and over," he stated a cocky grin.

Giles coughed and removed his glasses to wipe them off. He placed them back on his face and picked up a book he retrieved before Angelus started his tales. "I have a copy of the book _'Vampiricus Conquestus' _that contains documents of well known vampire hunters. There is a section dedicated to Holtz and it seems you missed telling me something," he said calmly.

Angelus laughed out loud and nodded. "Yes I did. Me and Darla killed his entire family in 1764, is that what I missed?" Angelus asked joyfully.

Giles looked uncomfortable and nodded. "No further explanation needed."

"Are you sure? It's a wonderful tale," the dark demon stated innocently.

"Yes I am very sure," Giles retorted back quickly. Angelus chuckled silently before he returned back to his chair.

"He did manage to catch me though," Angelus stated causing Giles to turn his head quickly. He smirked at the curiosity that grew all over Giles' face. "And you want to know what happened?"

"Surely you don't mind do you?" Giles asked calmly. Inwardly, he was shocked and dancing with joy to hear that Angelus was captured.

"Oh you're gonna love this," Angelus said before launching into his story.

**XXXXX Flashback Rome 1771 XXXXX**

Angelus ran through the sewers constantly looking behind him. He noticed a group of monks carrying torches gaining on him. He quickly turned a corner but he saw more monks coming down that way also. He looked around and spotted a sewer gate and ripped it open. He dove to the other side and replaced the gate, blocking off the monks. He smirked in accomplishment and turned around to leave but he stumbled and fell through a slanted tunnel. He fell through another gate and landed hard in a concrete chamber that was lit by torches. He looked up and saw another group of monks surrounding him with crossbows.

A pair of doors violently opened up and a strong stream of sunlight nearly engulfed the vampire. He jumped out of the way in time but saw a rider on a horse come inside. The rider disembarked the horse and one of the monks led the horse out of the chamber. The rider walked over to a priest wearing red robes and thanked him. Angelus picked himself off the floor and noticed that the rider was none other than Holtz.

"Thank you Monsignor. I am in your debt," he said to the priest.

"No, this animal murdered your family," said the priest. He turned around and pointed to Angelus. "Hold that beast!"

The monks threw chains across Angelus' torso and arms, effectively cutting off his movements.

"Monsignor Rivalli performed the ceremony when Caroline and I were wed. You remember Caroline, don't you?" Holtz asked Angelus.

"Pretty lass, hardy screamer," Angelus taunted back cruelly.

"The good monsignor has since then been excommunicated. The order he founded, Inquisitore, adheres to the old beliefs. They're traditionalists and quite good at their work. Let's get started, shall we?" Holtz said, ignoring Angelus' taunt. He then walked over to a monk and grabbed a hook and a few knives. Holtz then used the hook and ripped off Angelus' shirt, cutting the vampire in the process.

**XXXXX End Flashback XXXXX**

"Now I will continue this because you seem like such an avid listener, but get rid of the young one first. It's not for their ears," Angelus said with a smirk.

Giles frowned and looked at the door, then he looked back to where Angelus' was sitting, only to find the vampire had disappeared. At that moment, the door swung open to reveal Xander and Anya walking in.

"Hey G-man, ready to get started?" Xander said while picking up his box tools over his head.

"Oh, um—I've seen to have forgotten that we were going to build the shelves today. I became engrossed in a watcher's diary that has thought to have been lost for some time," Giles explained shakily.

"Okay… and?" Xander asked.

"Well I am not prepared. Perhaps if you come by in, say, an hour?"

"Uh yeah sure, boy must be some book," Xander said while frowning.

"Oh you have no idea," Giles said with a rare smile.

Xander placed his tools down near the door and walked out of the shop with a bored looking Anya following him. Once he felt the coast was clear, Giles let out a sigh a relief. "They're gone," he called out.

Angelus came out of the backroom with an impressed look on his face. "Rupert, I have to say I'm impressed with the training area in the back. Doesn't seem too bad."

"Please, don't shock me with impression, let's continue," Giles stated.

Angelus sat back down on his chair and leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "Boy, you seem really eager for me to continue," Angelus said with a smirk.

"Why yes I am. Any story of your misfortunes is always a good story," Giles shot back with a slight smug expression on his face.

Angelus just chuckled and continued on.

**XXXXX Flashback Rome 1771 (Continued) XXXXX**

The city was peaceful in the midday sun. People were coming and going, shopping or eating. Deep down in the city, Angelus yelled in pain. The monsignor walked across the room, totally engrossed in a book. Holtz sat on a small bench, sipping tea from a cup and a few monks were reciting prayer. The screams and groans of Angelus rang out again in the chamber.

"You lost me in North Africa. I knew you'd come back to Europe, but _Rome _Angelus?" Holtz said. He placed his cup down on the beach and stood up. He walked over to Angelus, who was suspended from the ceiling by chains around his wrists. "Why in God's name would you come to the seat of all that's holy?"

"Darla," Angelus said shrugging. "She loves the Sistine Chapel."

"Michelangelo?" Holtz asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Not him. She's mad about Botticelli's Frescos," Angelus said with a groan. "The Temptation of Christ is her favorite—probably because of the Leper." Angelus sighed and adjusted a bit of the chains as much as he could. "What do you want Holtz?"

Holtz walked over to a small table and picked up a three-prong claw. He turned it around and then turned to look at Angelus. "I don't want anything, my family is gone. I don't trust you to give me Darla, although I _will _find her, surely you know that. My only desire here… is to discover if a thing such as yourself can be made to pay for its sins." Holtz then drove the claw into Angelus' thigh causing the vampire to groan in pain. "You're a demon. It is in your nature to maim and kill. But you were also once a man. If we beat and burn the demon out of your living flesh, will there be anything left?" Holtz twisted the claw around and dug it back out, only to drive it back in again, making Angelus groan even louder. "Anything at all? I doubt it. But I am willing to spend the next fortnight of my life finding out. In either event, you have no soul, you cannot be saved."

At that moment, a flaming arrow pierced through the air and embedded itself into a monk. Everyone turned towards a tunnel entrance and gasped when their eyes landed on Darla and several vampires behind her. "Sorry it took me so long darling." She looked around and locked eyes with Angelus. "Kill them!" She fired another flaming arrow and managed to hit Holtz on the shoulder.

The vampires rushed passed her and met the monks head on. A few monks manage to stake a few vampires, but soon more rush in and started overwhelming the monks. Darla ignored the fighting and started making her across to Angelus. The monsignor approached Darla with a cross drawn out. "Go to hell foul demon!" He yelled out to her.

Darla smacked the cross out of the monsignor's hands and pushed him away from her. The monsignor crashed onto a wall and Darla looked over. "No grazie Padre," she quipped out.

The door where Holtz rode in from were suddenly ripped down and a carriage drawn by a house made its way inside. The carriage was covered by a shroud and stood next to Angelus. Darla walked over to her vampire and unclipped him off. Two other vampires managed to catch him and placed him onto the carriage. Holtz starts to get up and manages to get to his knees, but Darla kicked him hard across the face, knocking him back down. She then turned around and jumped into the carriage and cradled Angelus.

"Darling?" He asked weakly.

"What?" Darla responded.

"Shouldn't we be killing Holtz?" He pointed out.

"I know, but it's just so much fun ruining his life. He's like family now," Darla said with joy. Angelus smirked and pulled her into a kiss. He pulled a tarp over them, covering them from wandering eyes and protecting them from the sun.

**XXXXX End Flashback XXXXX**

"That was the last time I saw him. I heard rumors afterwards that he became a hermit or something like that," Angelus said nonchalantly.

Giles nodded and scowled inwardly at the turn of events in Angelus' story. "Well, if he indeed became a hermit, it would be safe to conclude that he gave up his quest for vengeance."

"I would say that, but I saw that bastard earlier today!" Angelus vehemently stated. He shot up off the chair and paced back in forth. "He's supposed to be dead! Not alive and breathing!" Angelus stopped and faced Giles with an angry stare. "I can't fight like this! Not with this damn chip in my head!"

Giles nodded and pondered for a bit before he answered the agitated vampire. "There has been records of demons and shamans making deals with people for eternal life. It never works out though. But there is one such demon that has the power to do," Giles said. He stood up and walked over to an opened box that contained old books. He muttered to himself while taking out books. "Aha!" He exclaimed once he found the book he was searching for.

"What? What is it?" Angelus impatiently asked.

"This book has detailed explanations of demons that have the power to manipulate time-travel. Well known ones such as Cyvus Vail," Giles explained as he flipped open the book. When he looked up and saw Angelus' tense stare, he placed the book down. "Look, this will take some time. So I suggest you go back home and wait for me."

"No, no way Rupert," Angelus said while shaking his head. "I saw Holtz on the way home. There's no way I'm going out there with that psychotic bastard looking for me. I can't even fight any of his flunkies!"

"Well… I suggest you stay here then until we can figure out what to do," Giles suggested. "You can wait in the back, but just stay out of sight. Buffy supposed to come over and train."

Angelus eyes widen with the news. He started snapping his fingers in excitement while he started to speak. "Hey, do you think she can help out? After all, she is the slayer!"

"Uh…w-well, I-I suppose. But I think s-she would rather stake you than help you," Giles stuttered.

Angelus' face fell and he couldn't even muster up the anger to retort back. "Damn it," he sighed. "I'll just… wait in the back," Angelus muttered out. He silently walked over to the back and went inside.

Giles followed his movements and shrugged off the pity he felt at Angelus' turmoil. "Oh well." He turned around and skimmed through the book more but the door swung open and Xander and Anya walked in.

"Are you finished now G-man?" Xander asked.

"Yes, let's get to work," Giles responded while standing up. The book laid on the counter opened and forgotten.

Later on in the day, a knock sounded in the magic shop. Giles stood up to go answer it while Xander continued with his construction. Tara looked up briefly from her tarot cards but looked back down. She arrived an hour after the construction began. Anya stood near the shelves moving things around and talking, but nobody really paid attention.

Giles unlocked the door and opened it to reveal Buffy and Willow standing on the other side. "Trick or Treat!" Buffy said while smiling.

"Hello you two, come on in," Giles said with a friendly smile.

Both women walked inside and Willow looked around with a smile. She walked over to a shelf and picked up a jar and started speaking while Buffy walked over the counter and placed her things next to the counter. She glanced at the still open book but didn't pay any mind to it. She turned around and walked over to Giles.

"You ready to train?" He asked the small slayer.

"You betcha," she replied.

"Shall we then?" Giles asked while pointing to the back.

"We shall." Both of them then walked off towards the back. Xander placed his tools down and followed the two to the new training room. He wanted to see Buffy's reaction to the room. Giles opened the door and allowed Buffy to walk in first. Something tackled Buffy from the side and Giles and Xander stayed standing while looking surprised.

"Unh… Ow, Riley," Buffy complain. She landed on top of Riley and Riley took advantage and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Giles frowned as he looked inside as he remembered his earlier guest. He ignored the surprised gasps coming from Buffy and walked to a darken corner. He didn't spot Angelus anywhere. He shrugged his shoulders and rejoined the group. He never noticed the open manhole cover in the corner of training room.

XXXXX

In the darkness of the mansion, Angelus awoke coughing and groaning. He tried to move his arms but he felt the chains around his wrists. He opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the darkness. Suddenly, the place went bright with lights and Angelus closed his eyes quickly. He slowly opened his eyes and adjusted to the brightness. He gasped with surprise as he took in the amount of men surrounding him. His eyes landed on one man and he held back a snarl of hate.

"Holtz," he muttered.

"Angelus," Holtz said. "We meet again."

**XXXXX**

**Read and review please!**


	14. How do you like me now Pt 3

**AN: I'm back! Sorry for the tiny delay! I had an ear infection and I was out of comission lol. Well, here is the next chapter! Thanks to all those who reviewed! Oh BTW, I hope you like the tiny cameo in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS**

**This takes place after "Out of my mind."**

**XXXXXX**

_The surroundings were peaceful. Time, dates, places didn't matter at all. It was a perfect place. The sun was shining down high in the sky and the waves of the ocean crashed down creating a gentle sound and he basked in it. He opened his eyes and gazed down lovingly to the small blond in his arms. She was tucked into his chest and he cradled her protectively, yet gently. He didn't want to let her go, for he was afraid that she would disappear the moment he released his iron grip. _

_She snuggled deeper into his chest and murmured silently. He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. She sighed and response and gently whispered his name, "Angel."_

_Angel was at peace. After 100 years of living in torment and regret, he felt at peace. He didn't have guilt here; he didn't have any commitments to anyone except the petite blond in his arms. But he knew that the peace was just a farce; a farce that his mind created. He knew which being was in control of his body, but he didn't care. _

_He was content to stay in peace and slumber for the rest of time. Let him take care of it, he constantly told himself. Angel didn't want to fight anymore, but he still felt the burning call of battle. _

_The blond in his arms opened her eyes and gazed up to him. "Is it time yet?" She asked softly to not disturb the peace surrounding them. _

"_Not yet Buffy, not yet," he answered back just as softly. _

"_Okay, but remember," she said as she laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "You have to go back soon. Your destiny is still out there."_

_Angel stayed silent and stared out to the expanse of the sea. He didn't want to leave, but the strange sensation he felt before coming here was getting stronger. He knew his peace was about to end, but not yet._

XXXXX

Buffy was tired. She kicked off her shoes and let herself fall on the bed. The past events had her nerves frayed and her worries up. First, her mother's sudden collapse wrecked havoc on Buffy more than she cared to admit. She knew she was being detached emotionally from everyone, but it was the only mechanism she knew would work. Everyone still thought she was herself and was just a concerned daughter to Joyce, but in reality she was afraid. She was afraid of what would happen if her mother wasn't around to take care of her and Dawn. Would she take on that responsibility? Or would she become to detached and fall deep into herself where nothing would ever touch or hurt her again?

She shook her head to dispel the sudden morbid thoughts. That action led her to think of Riley's unfortunate events. She cursed Maggie Walsh again for pumping Riley with those drugs. Buffy turned on her side and stared out the window. She saw the setting sun and she closed her eyes. She felt the tug of sleep trying to take over and relaxed to let the sleep come. As she fell into a deep slumber, her last conscious thought was a tall, dark, handsome vampire with gentle eyes and a gentle smile.

XXXXX

Willow and Tara placed another set of books on a shelf in the magic shop. They showed up at the shop after checking in on Riley at the hospital. The past few days were eventful for everyone and they liked the downtime. Willow reached over and grabbed two more books and started another row in the bottom shelf. Tara looked into a box to see if there were any more books remaining, but she didn't see any. She stood up and walked over to another box near the counter and started opening it up, but the sound of pages moving in the wind caught her attention.

She stood up and looked around. She saw Willow still busy with the few remaining books and Giles writing down inventory. The sound caught her ears again and she looked down and saw an open book, lying carelessly on the counter. She noticed the small build-up of dust and concluded that the book must've been forgotten by Giles.

"Giles?" She asked in her soft voice.

Giles' head popped up and he looked over and Tara. "Yes?"

"Um," she muttered and picked up the book with both hands to not lose the page it was currently on. "Were you doing research with this?"

Giles frowned as he looked at the misplaced book. He stood up and walked over to Tara, who placed the book back on the counter. Giles stepped up to the counter and looked at the book with a critical eye. His quick mind remembered the conversation a couple of days ago with Angelus and his eyes went wide. "Oh dear lord," he muttered.

He whipped off his glasses and cleaned then furiously before placing them back on. He looked at the open page and read out loud. "Sahjhan, the Timeshifter. A Granok demon that posses knowledge of the dark arts…" he muttered to himself as he read through quickly. He remembered the conversation with Angelus and closed his eyes. "Damn it," he said out loud.

"Have you seen or heard anything from Angel?" Giles asked while still reading the book.

"N-No, I-I-I ha-haven't," she stuttered. Willow turned around from the books and walked over to Tara. She heard the stutter and knew her girl was nervous.

"What's up Giles?" She asked the suddenly agitated watcher.

"Damn… I-I believe that Angel may be in trouble," he stated.

"Well, aren't we on bad ground terms with Angel or-or his bad side?" Willow asked while frowning.

"That may be, but he has done some good. Remember, he's like Spike, an impotent vampire. He can't defend himself," Giles explained.

"He's helped? How?" Willow asked curiously. She was surprised to hear about Angelus' semi-good deeds.

"Um, he's given Buffy and I information on demons and vampire nests. In exchange for money of course, but he's still a source of information and a potential ally," Giles said. He walked around the counter and picked up the book _Vampiricus Conquestus _and placed it on the counter. "Look up the vampire hunter, Daniel Holtz. Find out all the information you can, uh-uh tactics, maneuvers, anything," Giles said while walking over to the phone.

"Who are you going to call?" Willow asked but she turned red in the face. "Oh duh, haha, stupid me, you're going to call Buffy. That's a no-brainer."

XXXXX

_The room was dark and indescribable. A lantern was the only source of light and she struggled to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The room felt familiar, yet unknown at the same time. A groan caught her attention and she whirled around to face the sound. A figure_ _came into her vision and she once again struggled to adjust her eyes. _

_The figure groaned again and she saw chains wrapped around the figure's wrists, stretching the figure up to its full height. The sound of an opening door startled her and she whirled around to the sound. A man wearing a long brown leather coat walked in and walked over to the figure. The figure mumbled something out, but the man in leather coat stayed stoic. He turned around and walked over to a small table that just appeared. Several tools appeared on the table and she saw the man pick up a small silver knife. _

_He turned around and slowly slashed down the figure's chest. From the chest, she determined that it was a man, a man being tortured. The man groaned, but he never begged. The man in the coat leaned closed to the other man's ear and she managed to hear a few words. _

"_I swore that I wouldn't show you any mercy. And I'm not," she heard him say. _

_She suddenly had a strange feeling that the man being tortured would be defiant, probably defiant to the end. "I wouldn't expect any less, boyo," she heard him say. It caused her to smile suddenly. _

_At that moment, the man in coat drove the knife into the other man's stomach and the whole room lit up brightly. She gasped in horror as Angel's face came into view, his eyes wide with pain. His mouth was curled into a snarl, but he never yelled out. The man slowly dug out the knife, making Angel groan. His head bobbed down but a laugh was heard. Angel slowly picked his head up and she realized she has been staring at Angelus the whole time. His normally cold eyes were bright with pain, defiance, and anger. His lips curled into a smile and laughter bubbled out. _

"_Is that all you got?" He asked in between his laughter. _

_The man smirked and turned around and walked back to the table. He picked up a flask and opened it. He turned around and threw the contents to Angelus' face, causing the dark vampire to growl. The man followed that up with the knife, jabbing it into Angelus' stomach. The pain became too much and the vampire's mouth opened to let out a scream, but instead of his voice, her voice came out. _

Buffy woke up in shock at the dream. She blinked her eyes and looked around her room. The moon was high in sky and the light filtered into her room. She relaxed slightly, only to jump up when the phone rang. Buffy sighed and reached over to grab the phone next to her bed.

"Hello?"

"Buffy, this is Giles," her watcher's voice came out of the other end.

"Yes Giles, what's the what?" She asked while getting up off the bed.

"I need you to quickly come to the magic shop. It seems as if one of our resident vampires may be in trouble," he explained.

Buffy's heart leapt up to her throat. "Is it Angelus?" She asked, fearful of the answer.

"Yes it is. H-How do you know that?" Giles asked in surprise.

"I-I just had a dream. It seemed as if the hills-were-alive-surround-sound-and-smell-type of dream," Buffy said while putting on her boots quickly.

"Do you think it was prophetic?"

"What do you think Giles? Only a type of dream has Imax surround sound Giles," she said while sighing. "Look, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Buffy didn't wait for a response and she quickly hung up the phone. She walked over to the chest near her window and opened it. She got out a stake and a small dagger and placed the dagger into her shoe. Buffy then placed the stake into her back pocket. She opened the window and jumped out, landing gracefully on the ground. She then took off on a dead run towards the magic shop with only one thought on her mind, why did she dream about Angelus?

XXXXX

Giles hung up the phone and turned around Willow and Tara. "All we need now is…"

He was interrupted by the door swinging open and Spike strolled in. "Oy! Now, what's this I hear about me good ol' sire in a bind? Oh, I would love to bust him out so I can rub it in his face. Oh the tosser is going to hate it," he exclaimed. He strolled over to Giles and smirked.

"Yes well, we've gathered information on this Holtz man…"

"Holtz!" Spike exclaimed cutting of Giles.

"Yes Holtz, now would you shut it so I can explain what we have?" Giles angrily asked.

"Oh, excuse me. Continue," Spike said while smirking a bit.

"As I was saying…" He was cut off again by Buffy storming into the magic shop, panting harshly but ready for combat. "Anybody else," he mumbled to himself.

Spike turned around and he threw his hands up in the air. "Oh leave it out!" He said at the sight of the slayer. "What are you doing here slayer? Don't you have some lovey-dovey crap that you have to get to with Captain Cardboard?"

"Shut it Spike. I'm not in the mood right now," She immediately said. "What do we know?" Buffy asked as she quickly dismissed Spike and turned her attention to Giles.

"Daniel Holtz, famed vampire hunter in the 18th century," Giles explained.

"18th century? Isn't that like 200 or some odd years back? Shouldn't he be dead?" Buffy quickly asked.

"Yes he should, but he made a deal with… ah… hold on…" Giles said. He muttered to himself and grabbed another book and quickly flipped through pages. "Ah, here. He made a deal with a demon known as Sahjhan, but the details aren't known."

"Okay so the Solitaire guy…"

"Sahjhan," Giles quickly corrected.

"Whatever, what does he have against Angelus, besides the obvious," Buffy inquired.

"Yes, apparently Angelus and Darla killed his entire family. No one knows why, but it's thought that Holtz drove the pair to do it since he started hunting them."

"Me old grand-mum sowed the seeds of bloodlust into Angelus from what I've heard. Well that's what at least I gathered from Drusilla when she wasn't swoony over the ponce and the bint," Spike explained.

"Yes either way, Holtz chased after Angelus and Darla for a few years. He tracked them down in 1765 in Italy. Then in 1767 he tracked them down to France. In 1771 he actually caught up to Angelus, but Darla broke him out. That's all that's known. He's a well skilled hunter, apparently he's killed over 378 vampires," Giles explained. Willow and Tara's eyes widen at Holtz's tenacity. They never heard of a human that skilled and that determined after any vampire.

"Wow, sounds like a determined guy," Buffy quipped out weakly. She looked around and noticed that one of the members of the gang wasn't present. "Hey, where's Xander?"

Giles, Willow, and Tara just looked at Buffy and she just nodded. "Question answered." Giles walked off to the side and signaled Buffy with his head. She walked over to Giles and looked at him.

"Can you remember any details of your dream?" He asked the blond slayer.

Buffy frowned and pondered a bit. "It was a fairly small room. It felt familiar, but it was dark. There was one door and I saw this Holly guy and Angelus," she explained.

"The familiarity, concentrate on that," Giles said, ignoring Buffy's butchering of Holtz's name.

She focused on the memory of the dream and the sense of familiarity of the room. She felt as if she been there before the dream, but not in any recent time. She gasped as she realized where the room was located at. "Giles, I know where he is."

XXXXX

Angel felt the peacefulness end and the pain begin. For the first time in a long time, he opened his eyes, but he groaned as the pain suddenly caught up to him. He didn't remember anything, just leaving Los Angeles. He felt as if time flew by, but that was all.

A door opened, catching his attention. A man walked into his vision and Angel gasped in shock.

"Angelus, I see you're still awake," he said.

"Holtz, m-my god," Angel said while shuddering.

"You have no god, demon," Holtz said calmly.

"What-what are you doing here?" Angel asked while holding back the pain.

"For 200 years I slept, for 200 years I've dreamt of nothing but this moment," Holtz said while placing a short sword to Angel's neck.

"Which would explain why you look so well-rested," Angel said sarcastically.

"You haven't changed," Holtz stated while reaching into his pocket.

"Actually, I have. While you were sleeping, things have changed," Angel cryptically said.

"Really?" He placed the sword on the ground and pulled out a bottle from his pocket. He opened it and splashed Angel in the face. Angel growled and vamped out before returning back to normal. "Somehow things seem the same to me."

"You're wrong."

Holtz picked up his sword and placed the tip once again at Angel's throat. "I _will_ have justice!"

Suddenly, sounds of fighting and groaning penetrated the room. Holtz cursed and rushed out the room, leaving Angel shaking the chain in an effort to break out. Screams and yells rushed permeated the room, breaking Angel's concentration. Suddenly, everything went silent. The sound a single person's footsteps walked up to the door and calmly opened it.

A woman entered the room, but Angel felt power. Power beyond anything he felt before. He tensed up in preparation but a bubbly blond head appeared in his vision.

"I've been watching you for some time," she said. Angel stayed silent but she didn't care. "You have power and I care about that. Of course, I care about my shoes more, but you intrigue me." She turned around and looked Angel dead in the eye. A malicious smirk appeared and she reached into her pocket. "Nuh uh, I can't have your good side going bye bye now, can I?"

She pulled out a small piece of paper and read out the words. Angel didn't know what language it was, but he felt his small grip of control slip away. He felt the peace engulf him once again and he felt the contentment take over.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun with you," she said while gently patting Angel on his face. She walked out a left the room as quietly as she could. Moments later, Buffy rushed into the room. She ignored all the dead bodies around and went straight to Angelus. He was unconscious and Buffy ripped the chains from Angelus' wrists.

"Guys! A little help here!" She yelled out, startling the others from the carnage outside of the room. They all rushed in and helped Buffy lower Angelus gently to the ground. Outside of the room, Holtz quietly crawled away, holding the wound in his side. He didn't know who the blond was, but he was convinced that she wasn't human at all.

**XXXXX  
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**Not my best work I know, but I had to get this out of the way. Muse was nagging me and all mistakes are mine! Just point them out and I'll correct them ASAP! PLZ Read and Review even if its for the rush job on this chapter!**


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